My crime novel, The Throuple Private Eye— Business is Booming, was published as an e-book on Amazon for $2.99, Kindle Edition. The link is Amazon.com: Jen McDowell—Private Eye; Business is Booming (The Throuple Private Eye) eBook : Anderson, Monte: Books. It is the second in the series. If you would like to order the first eBook, The Throuple Private Eye—Hate Crimes, the link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084LTTHGN. I’d post excerpts from it in my blog. To read all the excerpts I previously posted, go to my website at monteranderson -author.com. For those of you who prefer a book in print rather than an e-book, my latest novel, The Throuple Private Eye—Business is Booming, is now available in paperback on Amazon for $7.10. The link is http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDG84ZCS.
THE CASE OF REASONABLE DOUBT (Cont’d)
Jen, Doc and Jonah had agreed whenever possible they would sit down to dinner together. It wasn’t easy with Jonah often on a stake out and Doc on call for emergencies. Tonight, everyone was home. Jen brought out the pot roast with potatoes. The aroma filled the dining room.
“Oh, no,” Jonah started in before Jen could put down the serving platter. “What do you want?” He raised his voice.
“I don’t know what you mean, honey,” Jen said while playing innocent as she sat the roast down on the table closer to Doc than Jonah.
Jonah pushed back from the table and stood up. “You only serve pot roast when you want something from me. What is it?”
“You are a suspicious soul,” Jen replied as innocently as she could fake it. As an after-thought she batted her eye lashes half in jest.
“No, no, no, Jen” Jonah continued. “You’re after something. What? Just tell me.”
Doc chuckled and started serving himself. “Never mind him, Jen. I’ll eat his. It smells delicious.”
Jen sat down and took the platter from Doc after he filled his plate. Jonah finally sat down. “Well, it does smell delicious,” he said. Jen knew then that the hook was set. “I guess you’ll tell me sooner or later,” Jonah added.
After some small talk, Jen finally said, “I got a new client today. Her name is Keira Shader. Does the name ring a bell?”
Jonah chuckled. “Yeah. I know who she is. She’s a pain in ass. She’s the sister to Sandra Rice, a homicide victim. The suspect is Ken Rice, the husband. I arrested him. I was the lead on the case. We charged him with first degree murder. I spoke to Keira, got her statement. Is that all, huh?” Jonah asked. “You want me to copy the police file on Ken Rice for you? Jen, the case is technically still open. He hasn’t been convicted yet. You ask too much. I could get fired.”
“Please,” Jen pleaded, once again batting her eye lashes which made the boys laugh. “She hired us to investigate. It’s Molly case, though. Kiera thinks Ken’s innocent. You know we’ll find out anyway, but it’ll save us a lot of time. Please.”
“I worked the case,” Jonah replied. “I know he’s as guilty as sin. It’s a solid bust. But you can’t keep asking me to put my career on the line all the time like this.”
“Okay, this will be the last time. I promise.” Jen waited for Jonah’s reaction. When he didn’t react, she said, “I’m wearing the thong you like.”
Doc perked up and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The thin red one?”
Jen nodded her head. Jonah sighed. “Okay,’ he said. “But this has to be the last time.”
Jen turned to Doc. “Ken worked at the hospital. Did you know him?”
“Not really,” Doc answered. “I mean, I knew who he was, but I never spoke to him. His wife, Sandra, was one of the nurses. I knew her, but she worked in a different department. I think she worked in NICU.”
“Did you ever hear any rumors about him having an affair?”
“There’s always rumors in a hospital,” answered Doc. “I never pay them any attention, but whenever I visited my patients in ICU, she always seemed to be flirting with a male nurse there. I don’t know his name. By the way, this pot roast is delicious.”
The next day…
When Jen walked into her home office, she was surprised to find Molly and Marty both there. “What’s going on?” she asked Molly. Before Molly could answer, Jen walked over and offered her hand to Marty. “You must be William,” Jen said with a grin. “Molly has told me so much about you.”
Marty laughed. “It won’t work. Molly warned me about you. I’m Marty. Besides, we met at the VFW.”
Molly glared at Jen. “Not funny,” she said. Then she changed her tone and said, “Marty came over to help me do some research. We found out some things about Ken and Kiera”
Jen laughed at her weak attempt to embarrass Molly. She glanced down on Molly’s desk, and there was a dish of M&M’s. Pointing at the dish, she said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Molly smile. “What? Our expensive monogrammed candy? I got you some too. I think yours are the ones with peanuts.”
Jen waited as Marty transferred his stuff from Jen’s desk over to the coffee table. Molly picked up a stack of paper from the printer. “Ken and Kiera were together in Tampa in May” she said. “I scrolled through her social media, and she posted several pictures of herself in Tampa. She even wrote how beautiful it was. However, she didn’t mention Ken or post pictures of him or the two of them together. But Marty found out Ken was there at the same time.”
Marty took the cue. “Affirmative. I checked the AFE website…”
“AFE?” Jen interrupted to ask.
“Sorry,” Marty said. “The Association for Facility Engineering. Their annual conference was held in Tampa at the same time. During the conference, Ken got certified as a Facility Engineer. AFE posted a list and even a picture of all the candidates. Ken was in the picture.”
“They were smart enough not to stay at a hotel near the convention center,” Molly added. “But what are the odds? You know they slept together.”
THE CASE OF REASONABLE DOUBT (Cont’d)
Jen, Doc and Jonah had agreed whenever possible they would sit down to dinner together. It wasn’t easy with Jonah often on a stake out and Doc on call for emergencies. Tonight, everyone was home. Jen brought out the pot roast with potatoes. The aroma filled the dining room.
“Oh, no,” Jonah started in before Jen could put down the serving platter. “What do you want?” He raised his voice.
“I don’t know what you mean, honey,” Jen said while playing innocent as she sat the roast down on the table closer to Doc than Jonah.
Jonah pushed back from the table and stood up. “You only serve pot roast when you want something from me. What is it?”
“You are a suspicious soul,” Jen replied as innocently as she could fake it. As an after-thought she batted her eye lashes half in jest.
“No, no, no, Jen” Jonah continued. “You’re after something. What? Just tell me.”
Doc chuckled and started serving himself. “Never mind him, Jen. I’ll eat his. It smells delicious.”
Jen sat down and took the platter from Doc after he filled his plate. Jonah finally sat down. “Well, it does smell delicious,” he said. Jen knew then that the hook was set. “I guess you’ll tell me sooner or later,” Jonah added.
After some small talk, Jen finally said, “I got a new client today. Her name is Keira Shader. Does the name ring a bell?”
Jonah chuckled. “Yeah. I know who she is. She’s a pain in ass. She’s the sister to Sandra Rice, a homicide victim. The suspect is Ken Rice, the husband. I arrested him. I was the lead on the case. We charged him with first degree murder. I spoke to Keira, got her statement. Is that all, huh?” Jonah asked. “You want me to copy the police file on Ken Rice for you? Jen, the case is technically still open. He hasn’t been convicted yet. You ask too much. I could get fired.”
“Please,” Jen pleaded, once again batting her eye lashes which made the boys laugh. “She hired us to investigate. It’s Molly case, though. Kiera thinks Ken’s innocent. You know we’ll find out anyway, but it’ll save us a lot of time. Please.”
“I worked the case,” Jonah replied. “I know he’s as guilty as sin. It’s a solid bust. But you can’t keep asking me to put my career on the line all the time like this.”
“Okay, this will be the last time. I promise.” Jen waited for Jonah’s reaction. When he didn’t react, she said, “I’m wearing the thong you like.”
Doc perked up and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The thin red one?”
Jen nodded her head. Jonah sighed. “Okay,’ he said. “But this has to be the last time.”
Jen turned to Doc. “Ken worked at the hospital. Did you know him?”
“Not really,” Doc answered. “I mean, I knew who he was, but I never spoke to him. His wife, Sandra, was one of the nurses. I knew her, but she worked in a different department. I think she worked in NICU.”
“Did you ever hear any rumors about him having an affair?”
“There’s always rumors in a hospital,” answered Doc. “I never pay them any attention, but whenever I visited my patients in ICU, she always seemed to be flirting with a male nurse there. I don’t know his name. By the way, this pot roast is delicious.”
The next day…
When Jen walked into her home office, she was surprised to find Molly and Marty both there. “What’s going on?” she asked Molly. Before Molly could answer, Jen walked over and offered her hand to Marty. “You must be William,” Jen said with a grin. “Molly has told me so much about you.”
Marty laughed. “It won’t work. Molly warned me about you. I’m Marty. Besides, we met at the VFW.”
Molly glared at Jen. “Not funny,” she said. Then she changed her tone and said, “Marty came over to help me do some research. We found out some things about Ken and Kiera”
Jen laughed at her weak attempt to embarrass Molly. She glanced down on Molly’s desk, and there was a dish of M&M’s. Pointing at the dish, she said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Molly smile. “What? Our expensive monogrammed candy? I got you some too. I think yours are the ones with peanuts.”
Jen waited as Marty transferred his stuff from Jen’s desk over to the coffee table. Molly picked up a stack of paper from the printer. “Ken and Kiera were together in Tampa in May” she said. “I scrolled through her social media, and she posted several pictures of herself in Tampa. She even wrote how beautiful it was. However, she didn’t mention Ken or post pictures of him or the two of them together. But Marty found out Ken was there at the same time.”
Marty took the cue. “Affirmative. I checked the AFE website…”
“AFE?” Jen interrupted to ask.
“Sorry,” Marty said. “The Association for Facility Engineering. Their annual conference was held in Tampa at the same time. During the conference, Ken got certified as a Facility Engineer. AFE posted a list and even a picture of all the candidates. Ken was in the picture.”
“They were smart enough not to stay at a hotel near the convention center,” Molly added. “But what are the odds? You know they slept together.”
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