A Candidate For Murder (Old Maids of Mercer Island Mysteries Book 2) (29 page)

David and I were sitting on a love seat, sharing a piece of cheesecake after Angela and Detective Abrams left. The girls had gone back downstairs.

“I have to leave soon, Julia,” he said. “Sean left the bulk of the paperwork for me. I’ll need to finish it tonight if I expect to have any time off this weekend.”

“Why does he get to do that?”

“He’s the lead detective,” David said with a shrug. “I don’t mind. He’s a good guy to work with. But I have big plans for Valentine’s Day, so I want to get the work done.”

My heart fell. “I see, well, then you should get going,” I said without looking at him. I put the plate on a side table and stood up.

“Walk me out to the car?” he said.

“Um…sure,” I replied without enthusiasm.

We went to a side bedroom and got our coats. He helped me on with mine and then we walked out to the street. The night was cold, but dry. The storms had moved on.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately,” he said, when we’d reached his car. “And I’m not sure it’s going to work with me being a cop if you continue to get involved in my crime investigations.”

I flinched as if someone had slapped me, and I felt tears begin to form. “Uh…but…I don’t
try
to get involved,” I said.

“I know,” he said. “But it could happen again.”

I felt my throat tighten. “I understand,” I said, dropping my chin and taking a deep, shuddering breath. “Well, then…I guess I’ll see you the next time someone tries to implicate me in a murder.”

I started to turn to go back inside, when he put a hand on my shoulder. “Whoa,” he said. “Where are you going?”

I looked up into that handsome face and then looked away. “Back inside. You need to get going. You have a big weekend ahead.”

“Julia, I’m hoping that big weekend includes you.”

My head jerked up again. “What? But I thought you just said…”

“I said I didn’t think this relationship would work if you kept getting involved in my murder investigations.”

“But…”

“And that’s why I’m going to put in for retirement.” I inhaled deeply and held it. He watched me a moment and then began to laugh. “Breathe, Julia. You can’t have dinner with me tomorrow night if you’re in a coma.”

I exhaled and laughed with him. “Dinner?”

“At my place. I make a mean pot roast. And afterwards I thought we’d go see that new play at the 5
th
Avenue.” He took my head in his hands, leaned over and brushed his lips against mine, sending me into orbit. “Now, get inside before you catch cold. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said. I smiled stupidly and then floated back to the house.

Doe, Rudy and Blair were standing to the right of the front door when I came in, pretending to put on their coats. But their smiles betrayed them.

“You were watching,” I accused them. “Can’t I have one minute of privacy?”

Blair whirled around as she buttoned her faux mink coat. “How could we miss it? You were standing right under a street lamp.” She put an arm around my shoulders and began to guide me through the living room toward the stairs. “Now, Julia, if you need any advice regarding your…uh…new relationship, I’m here for you.”

The four of us said goodnight to Goldie and Ben downstairs and headed back to the Inn via the forest path that ran along the lake. Rudy had a small flashlight and took the lead. Doe followed right behind her, while Blair moved in front of me, explaining how I should approach the first date at David’s house.

“Play it cool,” she was saying. “Don’t jump the gun.”

“Not
that
again,” Doe said with a laugh.

We were stepping carefully around rocks and over tree roots.

“I just want Julia to take it slow,” Blair said.

“Not like you, you mean,” Rudy called out.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” I said to Blair’s back. “I think I know what to do. I’m not a complete klutz in the bedroom.”

Just then, my foot caught on a tree root and threw me to the ground with an “oof!” Doe and Rudy kept walking. Blair kept walking and
talking
.

“You want to create ex-pec-ta-tion,” she said, drawing the word out. “Leave him wanting more.”

I lay face down on the ground spitting out sand, as they disappeared into the dark. Blair’s voice drifted back to me. “So what do you plan on wearing tomorrow night, Julia? I’m thinking that nice velvet jacket.”

Count to three.

“Julia? JULIA??”

THE END

Author’s Notes
 

Child abuse is a devastating problem in this country, affecting thousands of children every year.
According to the
Children’s Defense Fund’s
Annual State of America’s Children
 Report 2014
,
almost 2,000 children are abused or neglected each day in the U.S.

How can we allow this to happen?

Many of those children die, or at the very least, grow up to face substance abuse, mental health issues, prostitution, incarceration, suicide, or becoming abusers themselves.

If you know of an agency in your area that supports the children and families facing the heartbreak of child abuse in
any
of its forms, please reach out to that agency and ask how you can help. A child’s life may depend on it.

Thank
you so very much for reading
A Candidate For Murder
. If you enjoyed this book, I would encourage you to go back to Amazon.com and leave an honest review. We “indie” authors survive on reviews and word-of-mouth advertising. So tell a friend. This will help position the book so that more people might also enjoy it. Thank you!

About the Author

Ms. Bohart holds a master’s degree in theater, has published in Woman’s World, and has a story in
Dead on Demand
, an anthology of ghost stories that remained on the Library Journals best seller list for six months. As a thirty-year nonprofit professional, she has spent a lifetime writing brochures, newsletters, business letters, website copy, and more. She did a short stint writing for
Patch.com
, teaches writing through the Continuing Education Program at Green River Community College, and writes a monthly column for the
Renton Reporter
.
A Candidate For Murder
is her fifth full-length novel and the second in the Old Maids of Mercer Island mysteries. She is hard at work on the third book in the series.

If you would like more information, please visit her website at:
www.bohartink.com
,
where you can let the author know you’d like to be added to her email list to be notified of upcoming publications or events. You may also join her author page on Facebook.

Follow Ms. Bohart

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www.bohartink.com

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