Welcome to Tuesday Tales, powered by a small group of authors, where word prompts inspire passages in the books we’re writing. I’m working on a cozy mystery, Pumpkin Patch Murder. Our word of the day is now. When you finish the passage, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.
We entered, and he immediately pulled me toward a chair in a corner and took a seat beside me. Close up, his size threw me for a moment. It was amazing how much bigger he looked in all the law enforcement gear. “Don’t give me that, Peri. The bull-headed look on your face was as clear as that rain out there. You hammered him with questions, didn’t you?”
A woman behind the front desk was busy sorting paperwork but also managed to keep a curious eye on us. Was she watching out for a coworker or gathering tasty morsels for the copy machine clatch?
I whispered, “He implicated Kitty Varner as the killer.”
“Implicated? How?”
“He said they had mutual animus.”
“Oh, you mean he mentioned her in the conversation. Yes, well, don’t concern yourself with that. We’re all over it. “
“So you think she did it?”
“I didn’t say that. For God’s sakes, will you give it a rest? I told you to stay out of it. Leave the police work to us. You’re bulldozing your way into dangerous territory. Pelier won’t like it and, frankly, neither do I.”
“I was being polite. You said I should make myself welcome and fit in with the—how did you put it?—tempo of the town.”
His skeptical expression told me I could also try and sell him some deep-sea diving tickets to the Mojave, but he’d let it pass for now. A radio attached near his shoulder beeped. He pushed a button, uttered a code number, and serious eyes turned back to me. “On another note, before we go into the interview room, fill me in on the break in.”
His words startled me. I hadn’t thought of the search of Jack‘s office as a break in. But of course, it was. Uneasiness started to creep in. I repeated the preliminary information I had shared with him on the phone, adding all the details I knew, but not offering any surmises. I had clasped my knees while explaining, and he reached over and patted my hand.
The woman behind the desk called, “Sergeant, the Chief wants to see you before the next interview.”
He nodded, told me to stay put until he returned for me, and moved.
I had taken out my phone to check for messages, when a loud voice called out, “Peridot Nash? Bless my soul!”
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the piece inspired by the word now. 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 @ 2025 Flossie Benton Rogers
Love the line about the Mojave Desert!!!! Had me grinning. Also love your cover. Makes the book look both like a fun and mysterious read at the same time. Sooo she and this policeman are a bit at odds, eh? I have my money on Peri. Love the characters in your stories. They are so real!
Thanks for saying the characters are real! Glad the Mojave wasn’t too over the top heh heh.
Great scene. Deep sea diving in the Mojave? LOL Well done.
Hahaha thank you@
Oh he’s not happy with her! I also loved the line about the Mojave desert. I also love how she had second thoughts that what happened in the office was actually a break in. Great job!
Haha, thanks, Tricia! That line popped into my head, and I wondered if it would “take.”