The following is another excerpt from my work in progress, The Throuple Private Eye—Business is Booming, a Jen McDowell Series. This is the second draft. I’m at 46k words now. If you want to catch up, order the novella The Throuple Private Eye—Hate Crimes, on Amazon ($2.99). The link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084LTTHGN. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 11
Prada slept in bed with Jen, squeezed in between her and Doc with Jonah on the other side of Jen. It was a bit crowded, but Jen thought it was sweet of the boys to let Prada share the bed. The next morning, Jen got up and gave Prada some kibble for breakfast. Prada turned up her nose at the kibble. Jen then made a cheese omelet with bacon for herself. She left the omelet on the table as she made herself a cup of coffee. When she turned around, the omelet was gone. She looked at Prada’s bowl. She hadn’t touched the kibble.
“WTF? Young lady,” she half shouted at Prada. “Did you eat my omelet?” Prada tried to look innocent, but the bacon and cheese on her lips gave her away. Jen just laughed and made another omelet and bacon.
As she was cooking, Molly came to the office to get Prada. Jen noticed she was wearing the same clothes she wore last night. “Prada’s good,” Jen said. “We just had omelets and bacon. Prada turned up her nose at the kibble.”
“Damn, Aunt Jen,” Molly complained. “You’ve spoiled her. I have to give her some meds, and I’ll take her home.”
Jen grinned. “So, you stayed all night with Marty? How was it?”
Molly smiled. “It was great.”
Jen chuckled. “Come on girl, I want details. Spill.”
Molly stopped smiling. “When have you ever shared any details about your sex life?”
Jen could see that she offended Molly. “That’s different. We’re in a committed relationship.”
Molly put her hands on her hips. “And what am I, your neighborhood whore?”
Jen walked over to Molly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that at all. I don’t want to fight with you over some guy. You must really like Marty.”
Molly relaxed. “Yeah. Jen, I think he might be the one. We talked all night.”
Jen chuckled. “You mean you didn’t tear each other’s clothes off as soon as you got inside his place and have sex like they do in the movies?”
It was Molly’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, we did that except it takes longer with a prothesis. That was a first for me.”
“Oh?” Jen chuckled. “I didn’t know you were a virgin.”
Molly shot a rubber band at Jen. “Very funny. I meant that I had never had sex with a one-legged man.”
“But you managed somehow,” Jen suggested.
“We managed,” Molly answered smiling.
“So, what’s he like?” Jen asked.
“Well, he has an engineering degree from Georgia University…”
“Georgia Tech,” Jen corrected.
“What?” Molly asked.
“His degree is from Georgia Tech, not Georgia University—two different schools.”
“So,” Molly said, a little pissed. “you checked him out already?”
Jen realized she screwed up. “Sorry, but I was worry about you. You left with a guy you just met and spent the night with him. What else about him?”
Molly sat down. “I don’t know how much you know, but he was born and raised here in Atlanta. He’s enrolled in the graduate program for his master’s in engineering. He’s real smart. He lost his leg in Afghanistan.”
“IED?” Jen asked.
“No, sniper.” Molly answered. “He doesn’t have much PTSD like we do. His is a mild case.”
Jed and Molly talked about Marty for a few more minutes. Finally, Jen asked, “Will you go out with him again?”
“Are you kidding?” Molly answered. “We’re going dancing again this Friday. I’m telling you, Marty might be the one. That reminds me, he said something that got me thinking. I told him about the case we’re working on for Kiera. He said to me that we’re looking for “reasonable doubts”. I asked what he meant by that and he said in a murder trial in Georgia, all twelve jurors must agree beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.”
Molly let that thought sink in. “I think that Kiera isn’t asking us to find who killed Sandra. I think she wants us to find reasonable doubt that he may not have killed his wife.”
Jen was a little puzzled. “So?”
“I think she’s playing us.”
“What?” Jen replied. “Why?”
Molly stood up. “Bear with me for a minute. Suppose that Kiera and Ken never ended their affair? Maybe they planned to kill Sandra. They just cooled their affair because they knew the police would discover it. That may explain why Sandra was stabbed only once. More stab wounds would indicate a crime of passion and implicate Ken.”
“But why?” Jen asked again.
“So, Keira and Ken could get married. Don’t forget, the police report said there was a million-dollar life insurance police on Sandra that was purchase six months prior to her murder. Excellent motive if you ask me.”
“Okay, I might buy that theory,” Jen replied. “but you have to prove it. How are you going to do that?”
Molly shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know… yet.” Molly removed Prada’s meds from her purse and walked over to Prada. Prada started to whine and tried to move away, but she couldn’t move fast enough without her harness and wheels. Molly caught her and gave her the pills.
CHAPTER 11
Prada slept in bed with Jen, squeezed in between her and Doc with Jonah on the other side of Jen. It was a bit crowded, but Jen thought it was sweet of the boys to let Prada share the bed. The next morning, Jen got up and gave Prada some kibble for breakfast. Prada turned up her nose at the kibble. Jen then made a cheese omelet with bacon for herself. She left the omelet on the table as she made herself a cup of coffee. When she turned around, the omelet was gone. She looked at Prada’s bowl. She hadn’t touched the kibble.
“WTF? Young lady,” she half shouted at Prada. “Did you eat my omelet?” Prada tried to look innocent, but the bacon and cheese on her lips gave her away. Jen just laughed and made another omelet and bacon.
As she was cooking, Molly came to the office to get Prada. Jen noticed she was wearing the same clothes she wore last night. “Prada’s good,” Jen said. “We just had omelets and bacon. Prada turned up her nose at the kibble.”
“Damn, Aunt Jen,” Molly complained. “You’ve spoiled her. I have to give her some meds, and I’ll take her home.”
Jen grinned. “So, you stayed all night with Marty? How was it?”
Molly smiled. “It was great.”
Jen chuckled. “Come on girl, I want details. Spill.”
Molly stopped smiling. “When have you ever shared any details about your sex life?”
Jen could see that she offended Molly. “That’s different. We’re in a committed relationship.”
Molly put her hands on her hips. “And what am I, your neighborhood whore?”
Jen walked over to Molly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that at all. I don’t want to fight with you over some guy. You must really like Marty.”
Molly relaxed. “Yeah. Jen, I think he might be the one. We talked all night.”
Jen chuckled. “You mean you didn’t tear each other’s clothes off as soon as you got inside his place and have sex like they do in the movies?”
It was Molly’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, we did that except it takes longer with a prothesis. That was a first for me.”
“Oh?” Jen chuckled. “I didn’t know you were a virgin.”
Molly shot a rubber band at Jen. “Very funny. I meant that I had never had sex with a one-legged man.”
“But you managed somehow,” Jen suggested.
“We managed,” Molly answered smiling.
“So, what’s he like?” Jen asked.
“Well, he has an engineering degree from Georgia University…”
“Georgia Tech,” Jen corrected.
“What?” Molly asked.
“His degree is from Georgia Tech, not Georgia University—two different schools.”
“So,” Molly said, a little pissed. “you checked him out already?”
Jen realized she screwed up. “Sorry, but I was worry about you. You left with a guy you just met and spent the night with him. What else about him?”
Molly sat down. “I don’t know how much you know, but he was born and raised here in Atlanta. He’s enrolled in the graduate program for his master’s in engineering. He’s real smart. He lost his leg in Afghanistan.”
“IED?” Jen asked.
“No, sniper.” Molly answered. “He doesn’t have much PTSD like we do. His is a mild case.”
Jed and Molly talked about Marty for a few more minutes. Finally, Jen asked, “Will you go out with him again?”
“Are you kidding?” Molly answered. “We’re going dancing again this Friday. I’m telling you, Marty might be the one. That reminds me, he said something that got me thinking. I told him about the case we’re working on for Kiera. He said to me that we’re looking for “reasonable doubts”. I asked what he meant by that and he said in a murder trial in Georgia, all twelve jurors must agree beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.”
Molly let that thought sink in. “I think that Kiera isn’t asking us to find who killed Sandra. I think she wants us to find reasonable doubt that he may not have killed his wife.”
Jen was a little puzzled. “So?”
“I think she’s playing us.”
“What?” Jen replied. “Why?”
Molly stood up. “Bear with me for a minute. Suppose that Kiera and Ken never ended their affair? Maybe they planned to kill Sandra. They just cooled their affair because they knew the police would discover it. That may explain why Sandra was stabbed only once. More stab wounds would indicate a crime of passion and implicate Ken.”
“But why?” Jen asked again.
“So, Keira and Ken could get married. Don’t forget, the police report said there was a million-dollar life insurance police on Sandra that was purchase six months prior to her murder. Excellent motive if you ask me.”
“Okay, I might buy that theory,” Jen replied. “but you have to prove it. How are you going to do that?”
Molly shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know… yet.” Molly removed Prada’s meds from her purse and walked over to Prada. Prada started to whine and tried to move away, but she couldn’t move fast enough without her harness and wheels. Molly caught her and gave her the pills.
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