Friday might bring anything your way. How about a snippet from my one and only mystery novel? Yes, there's a romantic thread, but it's not the focus. Since I tend to primarily read thrillers, mystery, and suspense, you'd think it would've have been easier to write a mystery. It was not. But I did it after many stops and starts with gracious help from a police detective.
(From Chapter Three)
The 6’ 3”, shaved head and goateed guard arrived in a security vehicle similar to a golf cart. I guessed his age to be between 35 and 40. The head of security walked him over to us, and we introduced ourselves and shook his firm grip. His name-badge read Nate, so we called him that.
“Nate, what can you tell us about Carmella Ortiz?”
Both of us detected the slightest flush in his expression before he answered with proper respect for our question. Although we stood apart from the others, he turned his back even further away from anyone nearby.
“We had a thing.” He dropped his head and gave it a slight shake. “A few times.”
“Last night?” Jesse kept his voice sympathetic.
“No. Last night she seemed to be in a hurry.”
“How could you tell?” I asked, real casual.
“When she comes in late like that, a little tipsy, she likes to flirt. That’s kinda how it started with us. But last night I think it was her sister who dropped her off—it looked like her car—Carmella got out and hurried toward the guard shack. I walked out to say hi, but she just gave me a quick wave and kept walking.”
“How did you know she was tipsy?” Jesse asked.
“Well, I guess I just assumed she was. Usually when her sister drops her off, she’s been out drinkin’. I didn’t get close enough to know for sure.”
“How did she appear to you?” I asked.
“I guess just in a hurry.”
“What time was that?”
“Midnight or a little after.”
“Not as late as one or so?”
“No. It couldn’t have been more than five or ten minutes either side of midnight. I watched her for a minute and noticed she walked into a shedrow. Usually she heads down the road to her barn.”
Both Jesse and I looked around instinctively. “What barn and what shedrow?”
Nate pointed north. “Danny Westland’s barn, west end.” He gave us the barn’s number.
“Anything else?” Jesse probed in his best nonchalant voice.
“Look, I’m embarrassed, alright? I’m divorced. This hot young chick starts flirtin’ with me, and when she let me know she was game, I went for it. I haven’t been with her in probably a month or more. She hasn’t been comin’ in late—at my gate anyway when I’m on duty—for about that long except for last night, and like I said, she seemed like she was in a hurry—or maybe she just wanted to make it plain she wasn’t up for any funny business.” He looked north. “I’m sorry.”
“You know anything about her boyfriend?” I asked.
“Roman?” Followed by a brief laugh. “Roman is – or was - one of the good guys. This is a real shame. But there aren’t too many good lookin’ women around here who haven’t fallen for his charms. Carmella whined about him a coupla times to me before she came on to me.” He paused. “That’s probably why she hit on me. Thought it might make him jealous. Wasted effort on her part. I really don’t think he would’ve cared because he didn’t seem the loyal type to me. You know, a stud, young, good lookin’, all that.”
“Do you know how long they lived together?”
“No. Sorry. But I remember seeing them together shortly after the track opened for training this year.”
Jesse reached for and shook the man’s hand again. “We appreciate your honesty.”
“Thank you, Nate.” I shook his hand too.
Father, thank you is never enough. Can't say it enough. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.