Ugh. I love fireworks but my dog… not so much. Seriously, July is a rough month because various places around where I live have events and they're within hearing distance. The poor dog just shakes, trembles, and pants like it's the end of the world. Oddly enough, thunderstorms don't tend to bother her much. When they're really severe she gets a little antsy and won't settle down, but she doesn't tremble and shake. Here's to getting through the midway point of the month when the last show is scheduled. Whew.
Had a decent viewing week for television shows. Caught Endeavor and Midsomer Murders. The mystery shows are always a treat.
Caught the second part of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Started season five The Batman and it's terrific.
Watched my military shows, Band of Brothers and Strike Back. I'd forgotten how crazy Strike Back gets about midway through season four. I'm looking forward to seeing if season five keeps the frantic pace alive.
I'm almost finished with season one of Sense8. I love the interactions of the group and how the fallout from those is super awkward sometimes. I'd love to have a little more information about the whole conspiracy angle but I'm truly thrilled with how the first season unfolds.
Got another two episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles in and, seriously, that was some awesome television. I miss the show a lot.
I only got to episode four of Mutant X before the app pulled the show. Now I'll have to find it somewhere else. Pensacola Wings of Gold had a good episode but I'm not glued to it the way I thought I'd be. I'm almost finished with Constantine. It's a bit of a struggle to stay attached to the episodes but I want the backstory when John joins the Legends lineup.
Last but not least, Canal Road is such a great show. I'm totally invested in Spence's mystery and I want to smack Olivia for telling him to not watch the video on his wife's laptop. I'm certain he'd have the proof his wife and son's death was murder. GAH!
That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Gotta Make a Living, a novella that started with a scene prompt of "smoking guns".
Here's the mini-blurb:
Niles finds Claire standing over a dead body and can't decide if he should call the cops or haul her into his arms. Claire makes the choice easy by asking him if he sees any smoking guns. They decide they better work together to find the killer before Claire is framed for a murder she didn't commit.
And a preview snippet…
Claire Thorpe zeroed in on her mark, a man named Jordan Heparin. Head of Ipso Bio-Medical research and development, the guy always had supper in the Langley Arms's dining room before retiring to his suite on the seventh floor. His habit of having a pre-dinner drink at the bar gave Claire the opening she needed.
Sliding up onto the barstool next to Jordan, she set her clutch between them. "Bartender, I could use a whiskey, neat." Heparin had a mix, probably a gin and tonic based on the highball glass with clear liquid.
Jordan shot her a sideways glance then turned his full gaze on her. "I'll take care of that, Joe." He signaled the barman. "Put it on my tab."
Right on target and according to plan.
Claire gave Heparin a nod. "Thank you." She angled around to face him.
Give him some cleavage to ogle. Planting an elbow on the counter, she leaned forward a little. Sure enough, his gaze dropped below her neck, giving Claire the opportunity to check his suit pocket for his room key. No luck there.
Heparin's lips curved in a wolfish smile. "I'm waiting on a table in the dining room. Would you care to join me for dinner?"
Claire made a show of putting her hand on his lapel and peering over his shoulder to check out the dining area. Bingo! The key card rested in his inside pocket.
Settling back, she gave a small sigh. "I'd love to, but they look pretty busy and I have a pressing appointment in a little while." She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "But I'm very disappointed I can't join you." Almost too easily, she pilfered his room key, hiding it in her palm.
Sliding the keycard under her purse, she turned back to her drink.
Jordan put a hand on her thigh. "I'm here every night. If you're ever back in the area, the invitation is open." He took a long swallow of his drink and a moment later the maître d called his name.
He downed the rest of his gin and tonic. "That's me. I hope your meeting goes well." He waved to Joe. "I'll settle up on my way out."
Claire gave Jordan another smile. "I hope the meeting goes well, too. Thanks again for the drink." She downed the rest of her whiskey.
He made his way into the dining room and she slid her clutch and the keycard off the counter then smiled at the bartender. With a waggle-fingered wave, she made her way out of the bar.
Two minutes later, she keyed into Jordan's suite and got to work. Five minutes after entering, she found the hidden compartment behind the headboard and pulled out a stack of files. Rifling through the folders, she found the one she needed.
And hit pay dirt. "Bingo! Here we go." Retrieving the small camera scanner in her clutch, she took pictures of each page in the file. "Damn. Conrad is gonna flip." Conrad Pesterman didn't want to steal the designs, even though corporate espionage ranked as the normal course of business.
People like Pesterman, the head of C & P BioTech, tried to walk the righteous path of not being a dick and taking shortcuts.
Claire snorted. "Too bad he's one of the rare few." She finished getting the intelligence and put the file back in its hiding spot.
At least Conrad would know if C&P's schematics had been leaked for the synthetic living skin project. Based on what she'd scanned, if there hadn't been an actual leak, proprietary information had at least been shared.
Conrad would be very disappointed. He prided himself on picking solid employees. Claire took another moment to read through the Ipso file to see how far along the company had progressed on the production of a prototype. So far, they didn't have a working sample, but the notes from C&P would give them a jumpstart.
Claire frowned when she exited the room. She hated to break the news to Conrad. But he paid her a fat retainer to deliver the truth, whether it packed a punch or not. Reaching the main floor, she milled about in the lobby until the desk clerk took a step away from the counter. She deposited Jordan's room key in the lost-and-found tray and strolled out of the hotel. Hailing a cab, she gave the driver her street address. She'd contact Pesterman as soon as she arrived home and make arrangements to deliver the scanned file.
She settled back and ignored the busy street traffic passing by. "This is one call I don't look forward to making."
I love the noir vibe and I hope I'm pulling it off in the story. Claire and Niles are fun to write.
That's it for this week.
Cheers!
Skye
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