Dead in
a Dumpster
Leah Norwood
Mystery, #1
By B.L. Blair
Genre:
Mystery/Romance
Cover Designer: Nicole
Spence/Cover Shot Creations
Out
September 23, 2014
When Leah Norwood finds the body of Isabel Meeks in
the dumpster behind her store, she can’t believe the police consider her a
suspect. Sure, she didn’t liked Isabel, but then again, neither did anyone
else. Isabel had a condescending attitude and a bad reputation. As manager of
the antique store, Patina, she had made a lot of enemies.
There is Patina’s assistant manager, the handsome and
charming Trent. Isabel was blackmailing him. There is Patina’s owner, the aloof
and influential Anthony Thorpe. Isabel was smuggling drugs through his
store. And there is the entire drug dealing Cantono family. Isabel had lost a
box containing heroin from one of their shipments. That is just to name a few
and didn’t even include the stranger who was seen arguing with Isabel just
hours before her death.
The police have too many suspects and too many soft
alibis. Leah needs to prove to the sexy new chief of police that she had
nothing to do with Isabel’s death.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer
before the police arrest her for murder?
We were standing by the dumpster and trying not to look at Isabel. I don’t think Keith had ever seen a dead body either because the look on his face made me think he wanted to follow in my footsteps – scream, run into the nearest building, and lose his lunch. But the kid was made of sterner stuff. My estimation of him rose as he held his ground and questioned me.
“What were you doing out here?” he
asked. Okay, so my estimation of him fell a little. I glanced at
the trash bags sitting at our feet and tried to keep my voice even as I
answered.
“I was taking out the trash.”
I don’t think I succeeded as he looked at the trash and then flushed.
Now I felt bad, like I had kicked a puppy.
“So did you …”
“Cisneros.” A deep, smoky voice cut through the
night. Both of us jumped and then turned toward the voice. Keith’s
car was parked nearby, and his front lights were illuminating the vicinity
around the dumpster. With the lights from the nearby stores, it was a
well-lit area. From the shadows, a figure emerged. If I had any
nerves left, I might have been a little anxious. The man walking toward
us moved like a stalking panther. Smooth, long strides that ate up the
space.
He was breathtaking. Not
gorgeous or handsome but there was a power about him that drew the eye.
He wasn’t exceptionally tall, standing about five eleven, but his
shoulders were broad and his hips narrow. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on
his lean, hard body. Dark hair cut short in a military style, covered his
head. His face was attractive in a timeless way. Chiseled and
clean-shaven but with just a hint of a five o’clock shadow. He had a
small indentation on the right side of his mouth that was trying very hard to
be a dimple. It was as if he was willing it not to appear with the
strength of his personality alone. He had intense green eyes that swept
over me briefly before settling on Keith. He was dressed casually in blue
jeans, a dark t-shirt, and a navy sportcoat. He had to be freezing, but
it certainly didn’t show.
He looked familiar, but I knew we
had never met. I would have remembered him. He wasn’t the type of
man you would ever forget. I searched my brain for a name to go with the
face but came up empty. He stopped between us and turned to Keith.
“What have we got?”
The kid stood straighter. I
guess the man was his supervisor. Although he didn’t look much older than
I did, his physical presence alone commanded authority. Keith answered
quickly while consulting his notes. “Victim identified as Isabel Meeks.
Gunshot wound to the chest, close range.”
The man looked at Isabel still
sitting where I found her. He leaned closer. “Looks like a Glock
9mm.”
I was impressed. He was able
to identify the type of gun by looking at the body. I owned a Glock and
also knew what type of bullet hole it made, but I would have never been able to
tell by looking at Isabel. Keith nodded and then looked back at his
notes. “She was found about seven fifty p.m. by Ms. Norwood.”
Keith pointed to me, and the man
turned his eyes to mine. His gaze swept down my body and back up.
He then dismissed me without a second glance before turning back to the
rookie. “Has the ME been called?”
Now, I know that I am not the most
attractive person in the world. I am what most people would call average.
Average height, average weight, average looks, but being dismissed so
completely really pissed me off. I was cold, wet, tired, and quite
frankly, still a little queasy. And it had been a really bad day.
The two men were in deep conversation about the medical examiner when I
interrupted.
“Can I leave now?”
Both of them turned toward me.
Keith seemed a little surprised that I was still there. I guess he
had forgotten about me. The other man just seemed irritated that I had
interrupted him.
“You found the body?” he asked and
then continued when I nodded, “We’ll need to ask you some questions.”
Keith had been asking me
questions. My nerves were shot and my temper short. I am not
usually such a bitch, but I had enough of standing out in the freezing rain.
I probably shouldn’t have mouthed off to a police officer, but I figured
my day couldn’t get any worse. I summoned up my inner diva, gave him my
most haughty look, and asked in a snooty tone. “And you are?”
He stared at me a minute, his eyes
hard and unyielding. He raised his eyebrows just a notch, pulled out a
badge, and held it toward me. “Chief of Police Alexander Griggs.”
Well, damn, my day just got worse.
B. L. Blair writes simple and sweet romance and
mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of
her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to
finish them.
She is the author of the Holton Romance Series and the
Leah Norwood Mysteries. She enjoys reading books, writing books, and
traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is
currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her
family.
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