Excerpt: Fifty Mile Murder

No one could say that Judy Jessup was unattractive with her dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. No one could say that, but then again, no one was saying anything to or about her as she stood outside the stone building that housed her job. Her last job. The job she didn’t have anymore. She gazed at the half glazed door and her darkened reflection, hair lifting in the chill wind, then hurried across the street to stand in the shelter of the Victorian frame building. Her view had been of that building and a tiny glimpse of the river, for about three years. She felt adrift and strange, free in the middle of the day. Maybe a cup of coffee would be a good idea. She hurried down the street to the Village Cup. She perched on a stool at the counter and ordered coffee and a bagel. As she bit into the delicious bagel spread with fresh cream cheese, the proprietor smiled at her.

“They let you out to have coffee today?” He nodded towards the stone building that housed the Art Museum.

Judy chewed and swallowed, then took a sip of coffee to wash it down. “Yes, I guess you could say that, Mike. They let me out. Not that I didn’t see it coming.”

Mike leaned closer. “Oh, oh. What happened, Judy?”