by Diana Orgain | Sep 23, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss chapter one? From Runaway Murder Chapter Two “Morning, Greg,” I muttered as I made my way up the metal steps, my footsteps clanking as I went. He didn’t move at first, asserting his dominance by making me brush past him, I’m sure. But one quick glare from me had him hopping onto the platform to give us space. “Good morning, Jessica, and what a lovely morning it is, too.” “What’s got into you this morning?” I asked. He was always either far too happy or far too irritable, never in between, although part of me was convinced he acted the tempera‐ mental boss for my benefit. “Can a man not be happy at work, Jess?” he asked. I just shook my head and walked past into the waiting area as Vanessa pulled herself up. Greg Kendrick was one of the less pleasant parts of my job. He was the train’s chief conductor and general manager—and my ex-lover. Our affair had been brief, and long before I took the job on the train, but there was no escaping the fact that it had happened. I hadn’t been in the best of places after my divorce,—and even though my two kids and my stepson had long ago flown the nest, I’d still felt guilty divorcing their father. Greg had been a nice distraction from all that, but boy, had it come back to haunt me when I started working on this train. Whenever he disagreed with me or refused to entertain my ideas— which was often enough—I wondered whether he was punishing me for ending things when I...
by Diana Orgain | Sep 23, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of chapter one? From Runaway Murder Chapter One Continued… “Excuse me,” a young woman said, slipping past us and through the crowds. I stepped out of the way. “You’ve heard about the heist, right?” Vanessa asked, pulling me back to the conversation we hadn’t quite started earlier on. “Of course I have,” I said, moving out of the way of a well-dressed man pulling an enormous trunk. He looked like something out of the 1920s, like I’d somehow stepped back in time, and I stifled a chuckle. How delightful! “Hey,” I said. “Would you like a hand with that?” “Sure,” he replied. “Thank you.” I leant down and grabbed the handle on the far end of the trunk, swinging my bag around my back. “Where to?” I said once it was in the air. “Luggage locker,” he replied, nodding over to the small room in the far corner. “I had to check out of my hotel early this morning. I sure was glad when I found out I didn’t have to lug it around with me all day!” “Yeah, there are some pretty great resources here at the station.” Vanessa ran ahead of us and opened the door. “And I hope you don’t mind my saying, but I love your trunk.” “Not very convenient, like these modern ones with wheels,” he admitted. We put the trunk down and he grinned as we straightened up. “But I never was one for all things modern. Thanks for your help.” “No worries,” I said. “Maybe catch you later.” “Morning, Jessica,” another man cried as soon as we...
by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
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...
by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
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...
by Diana Orgain | Jul 16, 2021 | Gold Strike Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
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...
