One Deadly Sister

“What do you mean?” Ray asked.

“Loraine’s trial will be a huge national sensation. It will be a circus. Think about it: you have sex, a seventy- year-old beauty in a thong, millions in insurance money, conspiracy, and a murder-for-hire scheme. Plus, one additional murder by drowning thrown in at no extra charge. Seriously, the media will go wild.”

“They’ll call it the Granny-Thong Caper,” Ray said. “I might write a book.”

Sandy continued, “The hotshot lawyer, Gerald White, will get a couple million of Loraine’s insurance money, and she’ll be acquitted. From then on, Moran will be known as the second-rate who can’t cut it in the big time.”

“So Moran will get the big sensational crime case he’s always wanted. Except he’ll be on the losing end,” Chip said. “Big toad Moran will never get out of his small pond.”

Ray said, “So heartsick Tammy goes to jail. Greedy Loraine murders and ends up free and very wealthy. And I learn a lesson about minding my own business.”

Sandy winked at him. “Well, now that I know you, I like the way you are. Don’t change too much. In truth, I thought the granny-sex was kind of cute, but by my count, you’ve slept with two murderers. You might try cutting back on that.”

“No one else could have done what you did, digging in, setting up relationships with Chip and Linda, getting in people’s faces and negotiating. You made things happen. Without you, I’d still be in jail at the mercy of little Bonaparte. You’re going to be one deadly lawyer. I owe you for all this and still owe you for way back when, Sandy.”

“Call me Sis. We were different people back then, just a couple of kids. All is forgiven. It’s lonely out there. I think I came down here because subconsciously I wanted some family in my life.”

“I glad you’re my sister.” Ray stepped toward her and reached out his hand. She took his hand and quickly pulled him to her. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and locked her arms around him.

He was surprised and speechless. After a moment he was able to say, “You saved me, Sis.”

“Well, sisters do nice things like that,” she said. She released him and when she looked up, he saw that her cheeks were wet.

He needed a moment and then said, “And I’m getting smarter about women, Sis. Meg Emerson invited me over for dinner tonight. I think she likes me.”

Sandy rolled her eyes, “No kidding, you really think so?”

“She wants to talk about us being partners and starting a retirement plan consulting firm. She’s a whiz at sales, and I know the paperwork end.”

Sandy shook her head. “Raymond, we need to talk. Meg doesn’t want to think about business tonight. Trust me on this. Don’t take a ledger book, take a bottle of wine.”

Chip said, “I made some really sloppy mistakes. You saved my tail several times. I’d be back on uniformed patrol if not for you.”

“Nonsense, your dad would be proud of you.”

“With all this wrapped up,” he said, “this town’s going to be quiet and dull.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” she said.

The End

About the author:

Rod Hoisington has a background in business and education and lives in Vero Beach, Florida.

ONE DEADLY SISTER is the first novel in the Sandy Reid Mystery series

and is available in paperback from Amazon.

Read this excerpt from the next Sandy Reid Mystery

THE PRICE OF CANDY

The sequel to One Deadly Sister

Beyond the solid screen of sea grapes that lined Highway A1A, and down a gentle sea oat covered slope, laid an isolated patch of sandy beach warmed that late afternoon by one of the celebrated southerly breezes that enhance Florida in November. Only the murmur of the ocean disturbed the quietness. On that secluded beach, cast in the slanted shadows of the sunset, were two men and a woman. The two men were alive.

One was a sturdy younger man, scarcely thirty. He wore a Miami Dolphin’s sweatshirt and slouched with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his faded jeans. The other man was dressed precisely for business except fine sand had scattered across his well-shined Testoni shoes. He walked away from the body, put both hands to his head, and walked back. He took off his tailored suit coat and covered the face and upper body of the woman on her back in the sand. Her orange bikini bottom and bare legs remained exposed below his coat.

The younger man knelt beside the body and started to lift the coat. “She really dead?”

“Don’t move that. Don’t look under there!”

“I’m not looking at her. Looking at her body. She’s not in there anymore. Gone, like up in smoke or whatever happens.” He raised the coat and made an unhurried consideration of the body.

“You’re looking at her.”

“Ask her if she cares. Don’t often get a free peek like this, you know. I’ll just close her eyes so she’s not staring back at me.” The younger man passed his hand over her face and the woman’s hushed hazel eyes closed easily.

“How’d you know that?”

“That’s what they do in the movies. Read someplace where some people believe if the eyes are left open, the dead will look around and spot someone to take with them.”

“Keep your hands off her.” The other man reached down and readjusted the coat to cover as much of the face and upper body as possible.

“Who knows what the dead are capable of? This one’s doing a good job messing with your head.”

“Don’t touch her again, okay?”

“Why, she your wife?”

The man shook his head. “I...think I’m going to be sick.” He pulled the knot of his silk necktie loose, tilted his head back, and took in a deep breath.

“Girlfriend, huh? Lucky man...at least up until now. She’s definitely from another world. You rich guys get all the goodies.”

“I don’t think about things in that way.”

“You don’t think about money at all. Like you don’t think about that fancy car parked up there. Just ask for the best or pick what you want. Like you picked which girl you wanted. Of course, now you can’t bear to look at her. Guess you’ll just have to pick another.”

“I don’t need to justify anything to you.”

“Yeah, the rich never have to justify.” He made a wide grin. “Your money won’t help when you try to explain to your wife how you happen to know Miss Universe here and why her top is off. You’re shaking already.”

The other man stiffened. “Her top came off when I put my arms around her from the back, you know, that Heimlich maneuver, squeezing her to stop her choking.” He combed his fingers through his thin brown hair.

“If you say so. When I first looked down you were behind her with your arms around her. I saw her top fall off and her boobs bouncing around. You bet I remember that part.”

“I couldn’t get the damn thing back on.”

“Must’ve been fun trying to stuff ten pounds in a five pound bag.”

“Do you have to talk about her like that? It’s not decent. She deserves our respect. She was a nice girl.”

“You knelt down beside her with your head down for a long time. What was that?”