No Hope In New Hope (Samantha Jamison Mystery Book 7) by Peggy A. Edelheit Read Free Book Online

past. If you haven’t had the pleasure ( and I use that term lightly, but lovingly) of being exposed to Martha, Hazel and Betty, let me briefly introduce them.
    I first met Martha in Highlands, NC when I investigated the mysterious death of my husband, Stephen. I hired her as my employee in my ruse of an antique shop to help learn who killed him. In the interim, I met Hazel and Betty who worked for Clay in his bookshop in Highlands: another ruse I’d learned about later. We all eventually became close then sleuthed ourselves through several cases. Even though the ladies are seventyish and I’m thirtyish, in the end, we found true friendship. Our age difference was and is irrelevant.
    Martha is fashionably challenged, has spiky white hair, slim frame and an outrageous personality. Her sharp wit, mental aptitude and shrewdness, made her an extremely capable asset in taking some shots at the bad guys: literally.
    Trust me, some would make your hair stand on end too.
    Tall and lean Betty sports her grey hair pulled back in a severe bun. Hazel is the polar opposite: height-challenged with short, curly-gray hair and is plump. Although genteel and old fashioned, both are extremely savvy, perceptive and have proven time and again how clever they are.
    All three have been invaluable to me in solving crimes with their agile minds and wily ways through the toughest of times. I wouldn’t trade any of them. They are priceless and so is their humor, which always keeps me grounded.
    After the police left, we sat in the old wingchairs in the gallery in front of a small fire Clay had started, snacking on crackers, cheese and sipping Sauvignon Blanc from the back room kitchen. After Clay brought my senior sleuths up to date on what had happened, we talked it through.
    “A gallery that was , but wasn’t hit,” quipped Martha.
    Hazel patted a napkin to her lips. “This is unbelievable!”
    “An intruder who sets alarms,” said Betty. “Odd…”
    “Maybe to distract us from what’s going on?” I asked.
    “Of course!” said Hazel excitedly. “Confuse the facts.”
    Martha jumped in, “If so, it’s a clever maneuver.”
    “Why not?” I said nodding. “The art of deflection.”
    Clay wasn’t convinced. “Deflection…meaning?”
    “Maybe they were putting back something,” said Hazel.
    “They were doing damage control: returning what you didn’t know was missing to begin with,” posed Betty.
    “Because…?” asked Clay, now wanting to hear more.
    “Maybe, they’re getting nervous,” posed Hazel.
    My eyes scanned the gallery and the artwork as Clay spoke again then they spied the luggage: lots of it. That’s when I asked, “Hey , exactly where are you ladies staying?”
    My senior trio turned to Clay, who suddenly went still.
    Martha winked. “Right down the hall from you two.”
    I smiled tightly and turned to Clay . “How convenient.”

 
     
     
    Chapter 24
    Sandra, Sandra
     
     
    “…Sandra, Sandra,” I repeated. “Trust me, this will turn out to be a great mystery with a terrific twist.”
    “The publisher’s not convinced it’ll sell,” my agent said.
    I leaned back, closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. We had been going back and forth for several minutes on the phone. I was trying to gently coax and drive home the fact that this art angle was just the ticket to make my next mystery marketable. They weren’t buying it. The publisher was getting antsy for an exciting mystery: something that would pop. The market was tightening and book sales were lackluster. The exception: a select few.
    Unfortunately, I wasn’t among that elite group yet.
    “…This is all you’ve got? Unbelievable!”
    I ignored her expected jab. “Funny you should say that,” I said, “but someone made that exact comment yesterday. Only like, unbelievable, as in very excited.”
    I had neglected to tell her it happened to be Hazel, but that was a minor detail that she didn’t need to be privy to. It was the sizzle I