Killer Cannoli (A Terrified Detective Mystery Book 2) (24 page)
Read Killer Cannoli (A Terrified Detective Mystery Book 2) Online
Authors: Carole Fowkes
Tags: #Mystery
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If you enjoyed this second book in the Terrified Detective cozy mystery series, make sure you check out the first book in this series, Plateful of Murder, and the third, Bake Me a Murder, which are available now.
Here’s an excerpt from “Bake Me a Murder”…
Bake Me a Murder
The Terrified Detective, Book Three
Chapter One
Monday, 8:00 p.m.
People ask plumbers and carpenters for free help all the time. It’s a well-known fact. In response, these tradesmen either do the favor or learn how to refuse. A lesser known fact is, as a private investigator, nobody, except for the panhandlers at 9
th
and Euclid in downtown Cleveland, ever asked me for anything. So, when Ed Horwath, my sometime employee and full-time security guard at Triton Pharmaceuticals, requested my help, it shocked me.
To explain, I better go back to the beginning, meaning from the start of this case.
Since the Joey Corroza incident, Cleveland Police Detective Brian Corrigan and I had gone on two dates, enjoyable ones, I might add. For our third, my dad invited us to his place for dinner. Since my mother died he’d become a great cook and his manicotti was delicious. Aunt Lena, my late mother’s sister and owner of
Cannoli’s,
one of the best bakeries and cafes in the Cleveland area, had brought her chocolate chip caramel brownies.
Brian and I had been in the kitchen doing the dinner dishes. When we returned to the dining room, Aunt Lena and Ed, who had been dating since that same Corroza case, sat at my father’s heavy, dark-wood dining room table. They were making eyes at each other while my father squirmed and cast his glances everywhere but at the two lovebirds.
In a voice sharper than I believe he meant, he said, “Lena. Ed. Not in front of the kids.”
Lena snorted and tilted her head toward Brian and me. “Frank, those two haven’t been kids for a long time.”
My dad responded, “They still don’t need to see a fiftyish woman and her young man playing cootchy-coo with their eyes.”
I laughed. “It’s okay, Dad. We’re all adults here. Besides, there’s only six years’ difference between them. I think I can speak for Brian, too, when I say we’ve both seen worse things.”
My attention drifted to the brownies stacked on a serving plate. A wistful pang hit me. If I’d inherited my dad’s metabolism, I could have downed half the pan and arm-wrestled anyone else for the remainder. Since I put on weight like other people put on clothes, I’d have to restrain myself and only have one. Or two. I consoled myself with staring into Brian’s blue eyes. I have to admit, my eyes couldn’t resist traveling past his cute dimples down the full length of his hot body. My Aunt Lena had no qualms about her robust figure. She snatched the biggest brownie. But she cut it in quarters and fed it to Ed as he gazed at her.
Okay, this was one of the worst things I’d seen.
I glanced at Brian in case he had a notion to do the same, but he was staring at his phone. He then frowned and excused himself.
As if on cue, Ed’s phone rang too. His voice boomed. “Hey buddy, what’s going on?”
I couldn’t hear the other man’s exact words but he sounded pretty upset. Ed turned pale and lowered his voice. “Slow down, Merle. When did this happen?”
He listened for a moment. “Okay, I’m going to give the phone to a private investigator I work with, Claire DeNardo. You tell her what you told me.”
Ed held his phone out in my direction.
I waved my arms like windshield wipers and shook my head. I was on a date and didn’t want to think about business. But Ed’s eyes pleaded and I broke down. “This is Claire DeNardo. How can I help you?”
Plateful of Murder
Claire DeNardo is scared of a lot of things. Ordinary objects like roller coasters and men's hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band’s rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all been middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But when Gino retires and leaves her in charge, Claire quickly gets swept up in a murder case despite her fears. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it’s up to the terrified detective to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.
Bake Me a Murder
Private Investigator Claire DeNardo reluctantly takes on a case presented by her part-time employee, Ed. Ed’s cousin, Merle, is searching for his former girlfriend, a topless dancer who ran with a rough crowd. But it’s too late. The woman has been killed and Merle, who is now Claire’s client, is arrested. When Claire digs into the victim’s past, she uncovers a thriving illegal drug trade. Her fears about this case double when she learns about the mobster who is behind the unlawful business. All this while dodging Police Detective Brian Corrigan’s determined efforts to get her off the case and into his arms.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my husband, Greg, for his support, ideas, and patience. Nikki Salupo and Joanne Moore both stepped up when I needed their help most. Patience Jackson, Rae-Dawn Brightman, and Bill Payne lent their expertise to my efforts. Huge thanks goes to Kathleen Baldwin, whose advice, assistance, and reassurances made the publishing of this book possible.
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Carole Fowkes
eBook conversion by
Ink Lion Books
Cover by Kathleen Baldwin
Copy Edited by Michelle Morrow
Release date: January 2016
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Table Of Contents
Table of Contents