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Nancy Curteman Mystery Writer
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN-10: 0983463107
Type: Fiction
Pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9780983463108
Hiring a new teacher catapults Lysi Weston into chaos when she is dragged into deadly extra curricular activities in which two women plus one man equal murder.
When Corporate Trainer Lysi Weston substitutes as school principal, she discovers two women plus one man can equal murder. Weston’s life leaps from a saunter to a sprint when she finds out teacher Jeff Green is involved in deadly extra curricular activities. A murder catapults Weston into the role of sleuth and unwelcome assistant to aggressive, Shakespeare-quoting Detective Molanski assigned to the case who doesn’t try to conceal his romantic interest in the lady principal. Lysi’s amateur sleuthing prompts the killer to target her as his next victim.
Excerpt
It was dark when Jeff arrived home. With no light on his porch, he had trouble getting the key into the lock. The stray cat he’d adopted when he first moved into his cottage rubbed up against his legs purring in anticipation of its nightly meal. He reached down and gave it a quick pat. “Hold on a minute, cat.”
Jeff ran his fingers over the area above the doorknob until he located the keyhole. He had just raised the key to insert it into the hole when suddenly the door flew open.
“Come in Jeff, I’ve been waiting for you. It’s time for our talk.”
Jeff took a step backward and almost fell off the porch as a face emerged from the dark interior into the faint yellow glow of the streetlight.
“Ms. Fenton. I wasn’t expecting you.”
The cat leaped off the porch and disappeared into the shrubbery. Georgia cast a repugnant glance after it.
“I’m sure you weren’t or you wouldn’t be here. Right, little man?”
Jeff couldn’t read her expression. The slit of her mouth stretched into a mirthless smile, while her piercing eyes threatened him.
“Well, I don’t have anything in the house to offer you,” he ventured. “I’ll just run to the store.”
He turned to leave, but Georgia’s powerful grip on his skinny arm stopped him.
She pulled him through the door. “Jeffie, you’re not going anywhere until we get a few things straight so relax.”
Suddenly his sparsely furnished house felt crowded. The bare walls of the small living room started to close in on him. A vague uneasiness enveloped him and his body felt limp, as though he might faint. He could not organize his thoughts. Why is she here? What does she want? From somewhere outside a cat yowled, drawing his attention to the window. He wanted to run.
Her voice penetrated his mental fog. “Jeff, look at me. What is your problem?” She pulled him across the threadbare carpet to the couch. “Sit down.”
No, his mind yelled.
Unable to resist, he sank into the couch.
She turned on the dim lamp and sat close beside him. He could smell her stale breath and the musty odor of the old clothes she wore. Her flaccid body felt like a warm, damp sponge pressing against him. He was wedged against the arm of the couch and couldn’t move away from her.
Revulsion surged in Jeff’s gut as Georgia took his hand and brought it to her cheek. “I know you’re kind of timid around me. Don’t be.”
She dropped her eyes to her lap and slid his hand to her lips. “You see I have the same feelings for you that you have for me.”
Almost shyly, she raised her eyes to meet his dilated pupils, riveted on her face in an uncomprehending stare. “I love you, too, Jeff.”
She grasped his head and kissed him.
He jerked away, gagged and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Jeff sprang to his feet his eyes moist with shame and confusion. He shook his head in vehement denial. “You’re wrong. You are so wrong.”
He ran to the door and yanked it open. “Leave.”
Surprise then anger darkened Georgia’s face. She said in a low masculine voice as she stormed out the door, “You will regret this. I swear, you will!”
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