by Diana Orgain | Apr 12, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Go Back to The Beginning of Chapter One From Formula for Murder Chapter One Continued… I absently looked around for my purse. For the first time since the accident I saw my car. It was completely totaled. My trunk was smashed in and the hood looked like an accordion. How had I walked away from that? What about Laurie . . . could she really be all right? Tears flooded my eyes. “I don’t know where my purse is. I can give you my number . . . Can you call my husband?” The officer jotted down my home number. “I’ll tell him to pick you up at the hospital.” He looked at me for approval. I nodded. “Thank you.” “I’ll be in touch, ma’am. I hope your baby is all right.” Anger flashed across his face and his jaw tightened. “Don’t worry: I’m gonna get the guy who hit you.” I thanked him, then jumped into the ambulance, anxious to be with Laurie. She was still crying. Not knowing how to best channel my distress, I broke down and began to sob also, my brain trying to process the fact that this was the second time in Laurie’s short life that we’d shared an ambulance ride together. The fact that this time was not my fault did little to settle my nerves. Why had the driver left the scene? Sure, he was probably scared, but didn’t he know a hit-and-run was a criminal act? The EMT attending to Laurie put a small blanket over her and glanced at me. “Are you in pain, ma’am?” I searched my pockets...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 11, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Book One ? Did you miss Book Two ? From Formula for Murder Chapter One To Do: 1. x Make holiday photo appointment for Laurie. 2. Send out Christmas cards Get them printed first—then send out Christmas cards. 3. Complete Start Christmas shopping. 4. Find a “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament. 5. Get Christmas tree. 6. Finish background checks Galigani gave me. 7. Get new PI client. How do I do this? I checked Laurie in the rearview mirror. She was sound asleep; as usual, the motion of the car had lulled her into slumber. She looked adorable, wearing a tiny red satin dress with matching red booties. We were on our way to get her first holiday photos taken. I couldn’t believe three months had evaporated; it seemed like she was born just yesterday. My best friend, Paula, had warned me the time would fly by, but this was ridiculous. How had I put off taking Laurie’s holiday photos? Now it was the first week in December and I’d be hustling to get them taken, printed, and sent out as Christmas cards. It’s all right. From now on efficiency will be my middle name. I cruised down the hill to the stoplight and stepped on the brake. Out of habit, I glanced in the rearview again and saw a silver SUV barreling down the hill. Was the car out of control? It continued to speed and there was no telltale sign of the nose dipping as it would if the driver were braking. They were getting closer! Almost on top of us. I quickly looked for...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 11, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter Two? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter Three Continued… DIGGING “I was on the upper deck, admiring the view of the Golden Gate.” “With whom?” Lee asked. “By myself.” Lee squinted at me. “Where was your husband?” “Dancing. Are you with homicide?” Lee looked surprised. “No. Why would you think the homicide division would be here?” Oh no! Way to put your foot in it, Kate! “Sorry. I . . . never mind.” Lee scowled and made another note. “So you were on the upper deck and your husband was on the main. Dancing? Alone?” “No. We’d been dancing together, but I got tired and wanted to get some air. Margaret had been sitting alone at our table for a while because her husband . . . well, actually, I don’t know where her husband was . . . maybe he just doesn’t dance. I asked Jim to dance with her because she looked lonely. And I went to the upper deck to get some air and enjoy the view.” “So you left your husband with Margaret?” I nodded. Lee narrowed his eyes at me. “Margaret was the one who found Helene at the bottom of the stairs.” “Uh-huh,” I answered, not following his train of thought. Lee pinched his lips together, then said in a condescending tone, “So, how can Margaret be dancing with your husband on the main deck and find her friend on the upper deck at the same time?” I shrugged. “Oh. Well, maybe she didn’t want to dance with Jim . . . I really don’t know, I haven’t asked him...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 11, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter Two? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter Three DIGGING Officer Lee and I situated ourselves in a corner of the bar, each of us in a black lounge chair, a video console game of PacMan between us. I placed my coffee on the video game tabletop and fingered the recycling logo on the Styrofoam cup. “What can I do to help?” “Tell me about your evening. What you were doing on this dinner cruise?” Lee asked. I shrugged. “What everyone else was doing, having dinner.” Lee closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, indicating he didn’t think my comment was funny. He placed his notebook on the tabletop. At the moment the game preview was killing off one of the Pac-Mans and the defeat music accompanied Lee as he said, “How well did you know Mrs. Helene Chambers?” “Not well at all. I met her and Margaret last week. They invited me on this cruise. I was checking out the Roo & You club.” “The mommy club?” I nodded. “What about the spouses?” Lee asked. “What do you mean?” GRAB YOUR COPY OF MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER HERE He looked at me as though I was incredibly naive. “Did you know anyone else at your table? Any of the spouses?” Was he asking if I’d had an affair with any of them? I looked down at my red cocktail dress. Certainly some cleavage was showing, but nothing risqué. Why would he suggest anything like that? I leveled my stare at him. “Only my own spouse.” “Did your husband know anyone?” I shook my head again. Lee’s...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 31, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter one? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter Two Continued… OUTREACH The boat swayed, the motion brought my mind back to the present. I still needed to call Mom. How could I find a network? I extended my arm and did a ridiculous dance trying to coax more than two bars out of the phone. I quickly dialed home. All I could see in my mind’s eye was Laurie’s pretty round face with her rosy cheeks and toothless grin. Thank God I’d pumped before leaving the house this evening. I only hoped they wouldn’t keep us here too much longer. I was missing Laurie like crazy. I twisted and suddenly saw full bars. Mom answered on the third ring. “How’s Lemon Drop?” I asked. Samba music blared in the background, then suddenly stopped. “She fine, dear. Sleeping.” “What are you listening to?” “Ricky Martin.” “Laurie is sleeping through Ricky Martin?” “Yes, well, she’s really still too young to enjoy the finer things in life.” I filled Mom in on the developments. She gasped. “Don’t worry about Laurie and me, we’re fine. Just take care of whatever you need to. We’ll be here.” What would I do without Mom? As I was about to thank her and hang up, I heard a male voice in the background. “Who’s that?” “Oh! That’s Hank. He came over to keep me company.” After nearly fifteen years of being single, Mom had recently started dating again. Hank was the man who’d brought her out of hiding. “What are you, a teenager? You have some guy over as soon as the adults...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 31, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter one? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter Two Outreach I waved my cell phone around, counting bars as I moved from window to window. I had five bars showing until I hit the first number on the keypad, then three bars disappeared. Most of the passengers were now lingering in the lounge area. The captain had announced that we would be further delayed and compli‐ mentary hot beverages would be served. Jim was in line getting me a hot coffee, while I frantically tried to reach my mother, who was babysitting for us. I moved away from the windows, still focused on the phone, and slammed directly into Nick Dowling, the San Francisco Medical Examiner. “Mrs. Connolly! What a coincidence.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. If Nick was here, it couldn’t be good news for Helene. “Mr. Dowling. Don’t tell me Helene is . . .” Nick brushed his bangs off his forehead. “Well, I’m not supposed to tell you anything. You know that, Kate.” After giving birth to Laurie just a few short weeks ago, I’d been dragged into a murder investigation. Well, maybe “dragged” wasn’t the right word. I had launched a fledgling private investigation busi‐ ness. Maybe “launched” wasn’t the right word either. I had solved a missing person’s case, and two murders. Yes, I had solved it. I’d also met the medical examiner. The ME is called to a scene only when a death has occurred. I closed my eyes and bowed my head. I felt Nick’s hand on my elbow. “I’m sorry, Kate. Were you close?” I shook...
