Sunday Snippet: Gotta Make a Living

Apparently, the week before last ended up being bizarre not only because Mercury is in retrograde but two other planets are squaring up. I'm kind of glad I made it through the insanity. The past week had some challenges but things finally started coming together and smoothed out. Whew.

My youngest kiddo returned from Alaska where she had a great time. She graduated high school last year and she and my dad finally got to take a trip this summer. They had great weather and got to do a ton of fun sightseeing events.

Had a slightly slower than usual television viewing experience. I started out with a new episode of No Offence. Viv had quite the revelation at the end of the episode and I'm interested to see where things go from here.

Enjoyed another episode of Silent Witness. This one has some quirky undertones and I'm interested in the second part to see how everything plays out.

Caught another episode of Blue Heelers and started a new one. Since my new washing machine arrived, I've been catching up on laundry and getting some quality time in on my Australian show.

Watched a full arc of Classic Who. For some reason, I thought they only needed to find four pieces of the key, but it's actually six. Should be interesting to see how the final three play out.

Enjoyed another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one focused on UFO tech, which I find fascinating. The theories that come out of the woodwork regarding why and how the technology is used always makes me smile.

Caught two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Guest stars were Madeline Kahn and George Burns. Both were shows I didn't remember.

Watched a great episode of The Hardy Boys. Things are starting to come together and I'm really interested in where things will end up. I'm ready for the tall guy to get served. Just saying.

Enjoyed a new episode of Peak Practice. I have a feeling the next one will have a tragedy but I rather liked the new doctor they introduced. Looking forward to more from him.

Caught another Master Class on graphic design. This one focused on life as a working designer. I didn't think I'd get much out of that lesson, but I actually did. Even if I don't want to pursue graphic design as a career, the concept of what's important in the career you choose provided some good information.

Finally, I'm watching another episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This is set around Thanksgiving and there are some great character reveals. I like this show but I'm not champing at the bit to get to the next one … yet. This episode does have an awesome guest star in Michael Hogan and I'm happy to see him in the mix. Reminds me to send positive vibes out and hope his recovery is going well.

That's pretty much it for television and life updates. Tonight's post is from Gotta Make a Living, a novella with a noir flair.

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…

The things he wanted to know had nothing to do with Conrad's death. He'd have to put his libido in check and focus on the pertinent information. But…

He straightened. "Not here. How about Blinky's? I could use some good coffee." And time to regroup.

Her eyebrow rose. "Lovely choice." Her gaze slid toward Conrad. "What about him?"

Niles reached for his phone. "I'll call it in." He pressed the send button. "Yeah, Kovach? Niles here. Send a unit down to C&P BioTech, and get my brother out of bed. Conrad Pesterson has been murdered."

Kovach repeated the information then added, "I don't think Nelms is in his bed, Niles. He met that new lawyer lady, Cera Springfield, after shift."

Niles rolled his eyes. "Then get him out of her bed, Kovach. He needs to be on this one from the beginning." Nelms would pitch a bitch fit for being pulled away from his latest female companion, but he'd throw a bigger one if he didn't get first dibs on the crime scene.

Kovach snorted. "He's not gonna be happy, but I'll get him." He wanted a beat. "I don't have to tell you to stick around until the beaties get there, do I?"

Niles sighed. "Inform the beat cops I'll be here exactly five minutes. If they're not here, it's on your head." He ended the call before Kovach could wheedle more time.

Claire flashed a cheeky grin. "You've got this down to a science, don't you?" She tilted her head to one side. "Something tells me poor Conrad isn't the first stiff you've stumbled across." She didn't wait for a reply, instead stooping down to the floor.

Niles watched her move, gathering her purse and its contents from the carpet. "Is it your first?"

She shot him a sultry look. "Most of the stiffs I come across are attached to living, breathing men." She lifted a shoulder. "Lame humor aside, yes, it's the first dead body. I've dealt with bullet holes, knife wounds, and more messed-up faces than I can count. Stands to reason I'm overdue for a corpse." She grimaced.

Niles remembered his first and the gut-wrenching heaves of his stomach. Then again, he'd been with Nelms on the hunt for a missing girl and by the time they found her, she no longer resembled the picture they had. Claire handled Conrad's demise much better than Niles would have expected.

Niles waited until she got to her feet. "Do you want to skip the coffee?" They could meet the following day if needed.

She shook her head. "No, but I'd like to be clear before the police get here." She started for the door. "I'll submit to whatever tests they want and give a statement, but not right now." She paused with her hand on the knob. "Can we meet at Blinky's?"

Niles waved her off. "I'll be right behind you." He checked the time … the beaties had three minutes before he headed out.

I love this story! Niles and Claire are evenly matched and headed for a big adventure to get to the bottom of Conrad's death.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye