Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 01 - Stilettos & Scoundrels Read online

  Bobby and Tobey had finally come out to everyone, and while Ruth was still trying to deal with knowing her son was a homosexual, she was being supportive of both of them. Both Tobey and Bobby just felt relief about not having to hide anymore.

  Cooper had begun to consider Dirt a suspect after he had talked to Simon. He had told the FBI where he was going after I had called him, and they had put a wire on him. They had been tracking his every move, which was how they knew to come when they did. They were a little late busting in the room, but at least they finally made it. Now that all this was somewhat settled, I finally got up the nerve to ask Cooper about the murder charges in his past. He explained that he had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had pissed off the wrong people. He didn’t go into too much detail, but I wasn’t going to push. I knew he was innocent and that was all that mattered. At least for right now.

  Chapter 26Wow, what a week, I thought, sitting next to Cooper, his arms around me, on my favorite rock in the woods behind my parents’ home. I had finally put the finishing touches on my article and sent it to Trevor, who was thrilled and promised it would be the feature article in the next issue. I had thought long and hard and finally took the angle of how good people can get involved in bad things. I chose my angle out of respect for Helen, and because I’d learned that many good people make poor choices and that doesn’t make them bad people. This angle also made me somewhat comfortable because no one would be overly upset or outraged by anything I wrote, which would make the police happy. Had Cooper not intervened, they might have stopped me from writing the article altogether. They had tried to say that it might impede their case against Garrison. But lucky for me, Cooper was a great guy, who might like me, at least a little. I was excited that I might finally be on my way to the writing career I had always wanted, though I had received a call from my old boss from McLaughlin, Gary, who said that the board had fired David Ritter and would like it very much if I would come back. Even though Gary was offering me David’s job, the one I had thought I wanted for so long, it wasn’t hard to turn down. At least I knew justice had been served and that David wouldn’t be harassing any more women—at least at that company.

  And about me and Cooper? When I thought for that split second that he might be hurt, I realized that I liked him a whole lot more than I thought. We hadn’t had much of a chance to talk with everything else going on, but I hoped that we would now have that chance. I was going to stay at my parents’ a little while longer so I could spend more time with Cooper and see what happened.

  “What are you thinking?” Cooper asked.

  “Um, nothing really. Frankly, I’m tired of thinking.”

  “Want some help clearing your mind?” Cooper asked mischievously.

  “What did you have in mind?” I answered playfully. Cooper leaned over and started kissing me with those wonderful soft, yet strong, kisses of his. Yes, this definitely would clear my mind. At least of any thoughts except of him.

  Thank you for taking the time to read this book and I hope you enjoyed it. I encourage you to read about the rest of my books below or head to my website at http://www.lainaturner.com.

  Bestselling, mystery with a little romance (nothing too steamy her mom might read this), author Laina Turner introduces you to her heroine Presley Thurman in the following books.

  Stilettos & Scoundrels

  Presley tells her boss what he can do with her job in HR and embarks on a new career as a freelance journalist. What seems like a simple interview with a Senator turns to murder when the day after her interview the Senator turns up dead. Does the fact that Presley was one of the last people to see him alive make her a suspect? Her ex-boyfriend Cooper, who was in charge of the Senators security, might think so. Presley is determined to clear her name but can she do it and resist Cooper’s charms?

  Available on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and out on Audible Novemer 2012.

  Necklaces & Nooses

  When Presley’s boss is found hanging she thinks its suicide until the police discover its homicide. Who would want to kill a boutique owner? Presley’s not sure but she’s determined to find out. The cute detective assigned to the case makes it all the more exciting.

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes and out on Audible December 2012

  Handbags & Hooligans

  Presley went to Vegas to watch her friend Anna get married and the event turned into solving the mystery of her brothers girlfriend disappearance. But Ashley wasn’t exactly the schoolteacher she appeared to be. Who was she and was she kidnapped?

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes and out on Audible December 2012

  Gems & Gunshots

  Presley heads to San Diego to hang out with Cooper and enjoy the great west coast weather. She didn’t expect that while hanging out at the local coffee shop she would be a witness to a robbery and murder at Gemstone’s Unlimited. Much to Cooper’s dismay Presley feels compelled to investigate. She discovers that not only was the storeowner a womanizer but also was filing false insurance claims for diamonds that weren’t really stolen. Was that why he was being blackmailed? Was that why someone robbed his store? Presley’s determined to find out!

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes.

  And the holiday short…Mistletoe & Murder

  In this holiday short story, Presley goes home for Christmas expecting it to be a relaxing holiday until her old boyfriend, Brian, asks for her help finding out who has been stealing from him and it turns from theft to murder. Why would anyone want to kill Tommy and what was he hiding?

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes and out on Audible December 2012

  Coming November 2012 Tiaras, Texans, and Tassels

  Presley wins a bet and thinks she finally is going to get a chance to work with Cooper and show her she’s got the potential to be a good security detail for his company. She is miffed when she finds out her first assignment is to protect a bunch of self absorbed beauty queens at a Texas pageant. It soon becomes a more interesting gig than she thought, much to her delight and Cooper’s dismay, when one of the beauty queens turns up dead and the fierce competition leave the door wide open to suspects.

  If you enjoy reading about Presley’s adventures then you won’t want to miss reading about Trixie Pristine and her friends Berklie and Sophie in A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine and Books Aren’t Just for Reading.

  A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine

  In this short story prequel, Trixie and her friends Berklie and Sophie, considered themselves typical thirty something females until someone turned up murdered in their newly opened bookstore/wine bar. They thought they would be living out their dream in their new shop not trying to catch a killer. Who killed Sylvia and why? Or was one of them the intended target?

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes and out on Audible November 2012

  Books Aren’t Just for Reading

  Trixie and her friends, Berklie and Sophie, are excited about the opening of Read/Wine their new business venture of a bookstore/wine bar. All is going well until they happen to find a dead body in the shop and that wasn’t part of the business plan. All signs pointed to Berklie since it was her ex-husbands lover who was murdered. Trixie knew Berklie hadn’t murdered Sylvia so who did?

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes and out on Audible January 2013.

  Other books by Laina Turner…

  Raising Awareness for Multiple Sclerosis is a cause Laina is passionate about.

  The MS Project – Volume 1

  A collection of stories of people afflicted by MS or who have loved ones afflicted. This book is meant to be informational regarding the disease as experienced by real people and to showcase the amazing strength people find when facing adversity.

  Available on Kindle, Nook, iTunes and out on Audible December 2012

  The MS Project – Volume 2

  An inspiring collection of stories by people who have Multiple Sclerosis. These wonderful people give us a glimpse of their
life with MS, their courage, and their determination to live the life they want regardless of the obstacles in their way.

  Available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes.

  Check out my website at www.lainaturner.com or download my iPhone app, Laina Turner, to be updated of upcoming books and events.