Murder with a Twist (19 page)

forty-seven

I awoke the next
morning to a large pair of honey-brown eyes gazing into mine. “Nigel?”

“Yes?”

“Why is Skippy in our bed?” I reached over to the head belonging to the brown eyes and scratched it. Skippy thumped his tail happily.

“He pushed me out about an hour ago,” Nigel answered from the breakfast table.

“You give up awfully easy,” I said. I sat up, stretched my arms over my head, and yawned. “What time is it?”

Nigel looked at his watch. “Ten-thirty. I had breakfast sent up,” he said. He took a sip of what looked like a Bloody Mary. “They sent up some coffee with it, too,” he added with a mystified glance at the silver pot, “although I can’t imagine why. Would you like some?”

I laughed. “Yes, please.”

Nigel poured me a cup and brought it over. Before handing it to me, he bent down and kissed me. “First course,” he explained before handing me the cup.

“You’ll never top it,” I said and took a sip.

He shoved Skippy over and sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you this morning?”

“Fine. How are
you
?”

“I always said half of my family probably should be in jail. I guess it’s a start.”

I scoffed. “You know as well as I do that Aunt Olive isn’t going to do any jail time. Toby, Daphne, and Max will see to that.”

Nigel opened his eyes wide in amusement. “Hey! You just called her Aunt Olive!”

“So I did,” I admitted. “I guess she suddenly seems more like family to me now. After all, while you think most of your family should be in jail, most of mine actually
were.
At least at one point or another.”

Nigel laughed and kissed me again. “Just one of the many reasons I love you, Mrs. Martini. You help wash away my air of respectability.”

I kissed him back. “Speaking of which, what are your plans for today?” I asked.

“I don’t know. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I believe we are supposed to fly home tonight,” I said.

“You want to postpone that?”

“No, but I believe you are forgetting someone, dear.” I looked at Skippy. He thumped his tail. “I don’t think he counts as carry on.”

“Yes, but apparently he counts as a
medical
dog.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to know, do I?”

He considered my question. “Probably not,” he admitted. “In fact, the more confused you appear about the whole situation, the better it will be.”

I laughed again and pulled him close. “Deal. Now, until then, why don’t we work on your pesky problem of respectability?”

Skippy let out a protesting bark, but he did get off the bed.

Skippy: 2,468; Us: 1.

recipes

the naughty olive (a.k.a. the dirty martini)

60 ml (2 oz.) gin

15 ml (½ oz.) dry vermouth

30 ml (1 oz.) olive juice

2 olives

nigel’s juice cleanse

70 ml (2
½
oz.) vodka

30 ml (1 oz.) raspberry liquor

20 ml (
¾
oz.) raspberry syrup

40 ml (1
½
oz.) fresh raspberry juice

nic’s nightcap

10 ml (
¼
oz.) Martini Extra Dry vermouth

50 ml (1
½
oz.) Bombay Sapphire gin

15 ml (
¼
oz.) blue curacao

Twist of orange for garnish

a damn skippy martini

90 ml (3 oz.) vodka

45 ml (1
½
oz.) pineapple juice

15 ml (
½
oz.) kiwi syrup

Mint leaves for garnish

about the author

Tracy Kiely received a BA in English from Trinity College. This accomplishment prompted most job interviewers to ask, “How fast can you type?” Her standard answer of “not so fast” usually put an end to further questions.

She was eventually hired by the American Urological Association (AUA), who were kind enough to overlook the whole typing thing—mainly because they knew just what kind of prose she’d be typing. After several years, Tracy left the AUA, taking with her a trove of anecdotal stories that could eventually result in her banishment from polite society. That’s when she thought writing a novel might be a good idea.

Murder with a Twist
is her first novel in the Nic and Nigel Martini series. It can be enjoyed straight up or with a twist. She is also the author of the Jane Austen-inspired Elizabeth Parker mystery series:
Murder at Longbourn
,
Murder on the Bride’s Side
,
Murder Most Persuasive
, and
Murder Most Austen
. These can be enjoyed with either tea or a very dry sherry.

Tracy lives in Maryland with her husband and three children.