by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Roundup Crew, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From Murder at Yappy Hour Chapter Two Every neuron in my brain fired off at once, urging me to turn tail immediately and run out the front door. But the neurons didn’t seem to connect to any of my limbs, because I remained frozen like a statue, hoping the woman wouldn’t notice me. She was slim, wearing a short skirt and stilettos. And, of course, she spotted me immediately. A small dog appeared from behind her and began to bark, running toward me, its tiny nails scratching along the terra cotta floor. The woman let out a shriek and waved her arms around in a panic. “Rachel! Oh my God, oh my God, Rachel. It’s Dan! I think he’s dead!” She stepped over the body and came rushing at me in the dark. She grabbed my hands, the pink Meat and Greet bag swinging between us. “Thank God, you’re here,” she said. Then suddenly, she shrieked even louder and released my hands as if stung. “You’re not Rachel!” “I’m Maggie. Her sister.” It was a common mistake. Rachel and I had the same athletic build, were the same height, and had the same heart-shaped face. Physically we were very similar, but the resemblance ended there. “Oh! Oh.” The woman shook her head trying to make sense of what I’d just said, but it seemed too great a task, because she started shrieking again in hysterics. “It’s Dan Walters. He’s dead. I’m sure of it. I think he’s dead.” Dan? The manager at DelVecchio’s? Something tickled at the back of my brain. Rachel and...
by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Roundup Crew, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Part 1 of Chapter One? From Murder at Yappy Hour Chapter One Continued… I walked on toward the Meat and Greet and entered the small butcher shop, a bell going off as I stepped on the welcome mat. A voice called out from the back. “I’ll be right with you.” “No problem,” I called back, marveling at the selection on display. There was a large butcher counter filled with prime cuts, and in front of the counter was a delectable-looking collection of gourmet cheeses and chutneys. I noticed a small rack of greeting cards and picked one up. It was a hand-painted watercolor rendition of the beach. Another was a watercolor version of the town square. The sundial was depicted in various cards. Some cards were of parts of the cove itself that I had yet to visit, but most were studies of sea creatures. My favorites were a close-up of a starfish, and another of a jellyfish, its luminescent colors splashed across the card. They were all done by the same artist, someone named Coral. Something stirred inside me. Years ago, when life was simple, I’d loved to paint. I probably was never as gifted or dedicated as Coral — whoever she was—but maybe it would be a nice pastime again. Life had been so busy in New York that I’d felt I’d almost lost myself; maybe painting would help me put some pieces back together. “Thanks for waiting.” A middle-age woman in a butchers coat appeared from the back of the shop and hustled to her place behind the counter. She had unruly...
by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss Part One of Chapter Three? From A First Date with Death Chapter Three Continued… The same makeup artist from the day before materialized. She tilted my chin upward and began to apply foundation. The gal doing my hair gave a garbled command through a mouthful of bobby pins. I figured it had something to do again with my posture, so I pressed my shoulders back and tried to study the woman doing my makeup. Unfortunately, I only got a flash of her face as she immediately went to work on applying my eye shadow. Who did she remind me of? They whipped me into readiness in short order and then I was ushered over to the men’s house for the announcement. I entered the mansion and was positioned near the fireplace mantel. The men were all seated and watching me. Had it not been for the unsettling feeling that was already descending upon me, it would have been nerve-wracking to have the nine of them gaping at me. As it was, I felt myself tense, gearing up for a fight. Like answering a call during those few short years I’d been on the beat. You know the news is never going to be good. It may not be fatal, but it’s never good. The guys who’d been on the date the day before—Ty, Pietro, Scott, and Edward—were all a bit ashen faced. The others were smiling and goofing around with each other. They seemed completely unaware of the disaster. Hadn’t anyone told them? Cheryl entered,...
by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From A First Date with Death Chapter Three Int. Library – Day Aaron is looking directly at the camera, He’s in his late twenties and dressed in a windowpane shirt and has boyish good looks. His foot is repeatedly tapping and his eyes shift back and forth. CHERYL (O.S.) So, Aaron, are you looking for love or money? AARON Love? Yeah, yeah, love . . . Um, I suppose everyone is looking for love, but if you mean right now, like, here on the show . . . uh, I don’t think a reality TV show is the right place to find love. CHERYL (O.S.) What if after you meet our contestant you fall madly in love with her? AARON Oh. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl. I mean, sure, she’s probably great. Nothing against her. It’s just that I’m at a point in my life where I really need the money. I mean, I really need it, okay? I awoke in the RV and peered out the door, we were back in Los Angeles, parked outside the mansion that the men lived in during the shoot. I was only allowed to have dates there, I couldn’t move in any of my things. I couldn’t cook or shower there and I certainly wasn’t allowed to sleep in the incredible master suite. How cruel was that? So close, and yet so far away. At least there were no cameras in the bus. I could actually have a moment of privacy. But only a moment, as it seemed that every...
by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Part One of Chapter Two? From A First Date with Death Chapter Two Continued… Scott didn’t take the hint. “I gotta see the footage the camera crew took. Unbelievable!” My disgust overtook me and I said, “How ghoulish.” Scott looked over at me, seemingly surprised that I’d overheard him. A lopsided smile filled his face. “You think that’s ghoulish? Hell, nobody gets out alive.” I made a mental note: Scott would be the first to get the boot. The fireman concluded that I had not suffered any physical trauma. Any trauma I felt was purely psychological. What else was new? When he left, Edward searched inside my refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Scott peered over Edward’s shoulder into the fridge. “What? No beer?” Edward ignored him and passed me the water along with a small white pill. “What’s this?” I asked, fingering the tiny tablet. “My personal stash,” he replied. “Consider it a fast prescription fill.” Scott oohed. “Give me some of that, man. I’ve been traumatized, too.” “Undoubtedly, but your trauma was too long ago to fix now,” Edward said. He turned to me. “Don’t worry it’s only a valium.” “No,” I said. Why this guy was a walking drugstore? Ordinarily, I’d have grilled him about it, but since we’d just witnessed a man plummet to his death… Oh, God. What if it had been foul play? The thought made my head ache. No, it had been a dreadful accident. I kicked off my shoes and climbed under the covers. The door to the RV popped open...
by Diana Orgain | May 17, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From A First Date with Death Chapter Two The journey back to the bridge felt endless. My eyes were glued to Aaron, dangling beside me, and I couldn’t stop myself from shouting repeatedly, “Aaron! Aaron! Answer me. Aaron! Respond, damn it!” Then suddenly I was moving up and he seemed to be at a stand-still, maybe even descending. What was going on? Oh, God, was there another malfunction? Would they drop me, too? I stopped flailing and gripped the harness, as if gripping it would make me more secure somehow. Aaron’s body made its descent, the Coast Guard boat motoring directly underneath him. They must have determined that the Coast Guard would have the fastest emergency response. Taking a deep breath, I realized that I hadn’t stopped screaming long enough to inhale. The water was now a great distance away, but I continued to shout in vain, and by this point, I don’t think I was saying anything intelligible. The vague thought that I was in hysterics floated across my mind, as if someone else had put it there, as if I were someone else and not this shrieking woman. My body was hoisted over the railing of the bridge and, despite the hands gripping at me, I immediately collapsed onto the deck. Pressing my cheek to the cold metal, I could feel the hum of the traffic reverberate through my body. My screams subsided and I found my voice matching the hum of the bridge in an odd, regressive, self-soothing manner. I was shaking uncontrollably and because I was splayed out on...
