Part of my morning routine is trying to get warm. It seems my office is colder than other parts of the house, and I must either bundle up with heavy sweaters, hats, and lap blankets or turn the heater to an obscene number. Oh, and coffee! Let’s not forget that. What about you? Do you just swan into your office and start working or is there a certain amount of situating that you have to do first? Welcome to Tuesday Tales, powered by a small group of authors, where word prompts inspire passages in the books we’re writing. Today’s prompt is hand. My snippet is from a cozy mystery set in fictional Glisten, Georgia. When you finish reading, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.
Roy stood, with six eyes fastened on him, walked to the side table, and retrieved a bottle of water. He placed it in front of me and resumed his seat.
My friend had sensed my growing anxiety and made a calming move. I offered him a ghost of a smile, unscrewed the cap, and drank.
The detective cleared his throat. “Let’s resume. You returned to Glisten and moved into the Inn only three days ago. Is that correct?”
So, he admitted I had only been here three days. Hallelujah. “Yes, I drove up from Jacksonville.”
“The Inn was your childhood home?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Your parent’s owned it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you or your family retain property rights to it after you moved out?”
I eyed him from beneath scrunched brows. “No, the property passed through several hands after Mr. and Mrs. DeMilt bought it from my father. Most I don’t know or remember. The most recent owners, prior to my godfather, were Mr. and Mrs. Strickland.”
“Where did your family go after relinquishing the Inn?”
Wondering what this had to do with the murder, I decided to focus on keeping calm and answering his questions. “My family moved to a house just outside of Glisten.”
“And eventually you moved to Florida. When did that occur?”
“The year before graduation. My mother passed, and I joined my father and stepmother in Jacksonville.”
He consulted his notes. “Why did you decide to return to Glisten now?”
“My godfather recently bought the Inn. He asked me to come and help him with upgrades he wanted to make.”
“So you left employment in Florida…” He broke off when a quiet rap sounded on the closed door.
The officer in charge of the recorder rose to deal with the interruption. A uniformed officer on the other side of the door handed her a note. She delivered it to Roy, who unfolded it, gave it an intent inspection, and passed it along to Detective Pelier.
The detective read it, reacting with the barest flicker of emotion. Surprise? I wasn’t sure, but at any rate, it seemed to be new information. He slid the paper into a fold of his notebook and resumed with me. “Did you know the deceased before the committee meeting yesterday?”
I blinked at the sudden change of subject matter. “No.”
“The others who attended? Do you know or have prior connection to any of them?”
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the piece inspired by the word hand. If you haven’t done so already, check out the other excerpts at Tuesday Tales.
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Spirited Stories
All rights reserved, copyright @ 2024 Flossie Benton Rogers
I have a corner electric fireplace in my den, and in cold weather, I always turn that on while I’m writing. Today, we have snow, and lots of it. I was hoping all this white stuff was a thing of the past, LOL.
Another great snippet, Flossie!
What a great idea, Mae! Maybe if I declutter my office, I could fit a soothing electric fireplace. Obviously there are books in here, and you can’t have too many of those, but there are too many office supplies, bins of photographs, and skeins of yarn. Thank you for stopping by. Good thoughts and wishes to you as always!
One can never have too many books, Flossie. Maybe if you rearrange all your other treasures, an electric fireplace will find its home 🙂
Too right, Mae!!! Even with kindle books so handy, some of our print books are treasures that have been with us for many years. I have one book actually from high school and a set from childhood.
I’m so sorry you’re grappling with the cold!! I hope it warms up. Love the questioning. So methodical and typical of law enforcement. I still don’t trust the detective, but he’s growing on me a little. Looking forward to finding out where these questions are leading. Such an intriguing story!!
Yesterday was a chilly morning, but I had to go out for an appointment. When you go out and see and feel the sun, and it warms up the temperature to the mid-sixties by noon, you feel a lot warmer and brighter than sitting and typing. It was nice. Thanks for your lovely comments!
My office routine is simple. I turn on the computer on my way to the kitchen to get coffee. At this time of year, I turn on the electric heater to warm the room up since I turn down the overall heat in the house at night. My heater is only 10×6 inches and doesn’t take up much room, so for me, it sits on the floor in front of a bookcase. When my feet are warm, the rest of me follows. LOL
Not crazy about that detective. It seems to me he’s trying to pin this murder on her! Great scene.
That sounds like a great routine. You’re right about the feet. With me it’s feet and top of head. Yes, the detective is a bit of stiff (no pun intended).
I absolutely don’t like this detective but I really want to know what was on that slip of paper. And I love that Roy got her a bottle of water to make her comfortable. Great job!
Oh you’ve got my curiosity all riled up now. Darn you, sliding that piece of paper into his pocket without showing it to us!
Great scene!