by Diana Orgain | Dec 2, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From Murder at the Clocktower Did you miss Chapter One? Chapter Two I knew this would happen eventually. For the last two days, I’d been surviving on eggs and potato chips, in denial of what needed to be done: a grocery run. I’d stuffed my bags with enough food to avoid having to leave the motel until after the committee meeting, but now the meeting had been pushed back a week, and I was down to one slice of bread and a half-empty jar of mayonnaise. I was in a rather unfortunate predicament. I could go to a store outside of town, I thought and whipped out my phone to find the nearest store outside of Golden. Anything to avoid going home just yet. “An extra fifteen minutes just to get off the freeway….” I mumbled. Looking at the time, I knew that fifteen minutes was an understatement given the traffic outside of town. Golden might have been a small town, but larger cities with heavy traffic surrounded it. I was bound to get caught up in an early lunch rush. “Am I going to drive thirty minutes to avoid bumping into anyone I know?” I asked aloud, staring at the keys in the little bowl by the door. “Maybe I could just grab lunch at that sandwich shop again…” But I didn’t need to spend frivolously when I wasn’t sure I’d land the clock tower renovation job. The tiny one-bed motel room had been more than enough in the past two weeks, but it was already beginning to feel cramped. Sooner or later, if I managed to get...
by Diana Orgain | Dec 2, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From Murder at the Clocktower Did you miss part one of Chapter One? Chapter One Continued “Order up, Tori!” the server said playfully as she placed our paninis in front of us. “Can I get you, ladies, anything else?” “I think we’re good,” Tori said. “You, Hope?’ “I’m fine, thank you,” I said, and the server trotted off. “So, when are you going to stop hiding in a motel outside town?” Tori asked. “There’s plenty of little inns and rental homes closer to where you’ll be working if you get the job.” “I know,” I said, taking a bite of my ham and cheese panini. “Didn’t want to jump on a rental right out of the gate, though. You said I had some competition, right?” Tori rolled her eyes. “If you can call it that. Some big conglomerate called Revival.” I nearly choked on my food. I gulped down some coffee to clear my throat before speaking. “I’m up against Revival Architecture?” “Is that bad?” “Tori!” I exclaimed. “They’re the name for small-town renovations in the west. For starters, there’s no way I could ever match their prices.” “Their ideas suck,” Tori said. “They’re too… what was the phrase you used? Cookie-cutter. They want to get in, get paid, and get out. You’re a Golden girl—” “A girl from Golden,” I corrected, and we laughed. “My point is, you know what this town needs better than these guys in suits. You know what the Clock tower means to us, and you know how to keep that Golden charm. These people don’t know anything about Golden and our history. They’re...
by Diana Orgain | Sep 23, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Cereal Killer Chapter Three Continued… I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. MAYBE ITS TIME TO GIVE UP YOU’RE GRAPES OF WRATH. “Well,” I murmured. “They’re referencing a classic novel but made a mistake on the difference between your and you’re.” “I noticed that,” said Luz with a dark chuckle. “They missed the apostrophe in it’s, too.” Vicente and I traded papers, and I read the other note. HOW ABOUT A MIRACLE? TURN THE WINE INTO WATER. It was printed on the same type of paper. No spelling errors in this one, I noted—but another allusion, this time to a Bible story. And this one explained why Luz had flinched at Gloria’s water-and-wine remark a few minutes earlier. It had been an unwelcome reminder of the strange notes. Glancing toward Luz, I asked, “And what did they send today?” Wordlessly, she passed the last piece of paper toward me. LIGHTS OUT. CLOSE DOWN THE WINERY OR ELSE. My eyes widened. “They’re all disconcerting, but this one reads as a more direct threat. They didn’t even bother to try to be clever with a literary reference.” “I know.” She ran a hand through her dark hair. “I . . . don’t know what to do.” “Let’s start thinking through some suspects, so we have a place to begin investigating,” I said. “Vicente thought maybe your ex has some‐ thing to do with it?” Vicente grumbled his assent. Luz traced the edge of the table. “It is easier for Vicente to think that Thomas...
by Diana Orgain | Sep 23, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Cereal Killer Chapter Three Afraid? Vicente and I glanced at each other, grim expressions on our faces. But Luz waved her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said, regret in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have led with that. We’ll discuss it in a few minutes.” Gloria emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray, and Luz clamped her mouth shut. “Water and wine,” declared Gloria, setting the tray on the coffee table. Luz visibly flinched, but no one else seemed to notice. A moment later, Gloria disappeared back toward the kitchen. “So,” Luz said, “I understand you’ve done great work as a PI. Tell me about an interesting case you’ve solved.” “Well . . .” I reached for a water glass. “The most recent one was a murder on Alcatraz Island.” Her jaw dropped. “At the old prison? What happened?” “Well, it all started when my brother came to San Francisco on business . . .” A sizzling sound came from the kitchen, and a delicious smell wafted toward us. I sat up straighter, realizing all at once how hungry I was. We made small talk about my PI work and Luz’s winery for a few minutes, and despite the stress in her eyes, she was an easy conversa‐ tionalist and a lot of fun to talk to. How could someone as maddening as Vicente have such charming relatives? And then Gloria swept into the room carrying two plates, each holding a decadent-looking pastry. “Tortillas!” she cried, handing one plate to me and one to Vicente. “Thank you!” I breathed. I...
by Diana Orgain | Sep 23, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part one of Chapter Two? From Cereal Killer Chapter Two Continued… And with that, he knocked on the door. A moment later, we were greeted by a lovely woman in her thir‐ ties, with olive skin and a warm expression. The family resemblance to Vicente was undeniable. Her dark curls spilled around her shoul‐ ders, and her eyes were red-rimmed. “Luz!” Vicente exclaimed. “What’s wrong?” “Vicente!” she replied, barreling into his arms for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She pulled back and reached out to shake my hand. “And you must be Kate. Thank you so much for coming. I’m . . . kind of desperate for help, to tell you the truth. “It’s my pleasure, truly. Your brother Gary has gotten me out a lot of jams.” Luz smiled but Vicente looked affronted. “Gary? What about me? I think I’ve gotten you—” Luz shoved him before he could finish. “Kate, please, come in.” Vicente held up a hand. “Hang on! You’re going to have to intro‐ duce Kate to abuela as my fiancée. My car broke down on the way here, and that’s the cover story we gave to the tow truck driver.” Luz stared at him, then glanced at me. “Please tell me you ran that story by her first.” Vicente shrugged, a gleam in his eye. Luz smacked his arm, her warmth giving way to exasperation. “Vicentito!” she scolded. “Esta embarazada!” Though her English was unaccented, she’d switched effortlessly into scolding him in Spanish. “Yes,” I muttered. “It was very embarrassing. Can’t believe he didn’t have...
