I am delighted to share an extract today ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
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Genre ~ Cozy Mystery
Publication Date ~ September 30, 2024
Estimated Page Count ~ 380
Standalone Ninth book in A Right Royal Cozy Investigation Mystery series
Intro
In the serene seaside town of Windstanton, royal amateur sleuth Lady Beatrice, and her best friend and business partner, Perry Juke, embark on the restoration and refurb of Ryan Hawley, and Perry’s husband, Simon Lattimore’s, soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. With the Grand Opening only three weeks away, the town is buzzing about the new restaurant and advance bookings are flooding in. Everything is looking great. There’s just a stud wall and an ugly old bar to knock down and they’ll be finish on time. But as the sledgehammer falls and the wall crumbles a chilling discovery is revealed…human remains! The police are called, and Bea and Perry are waiting for their arrival. They just hope it’s someone who understands the tight timeframe they’re working within, someone who they know. Someone like Mike Ainsley who had worked on previous cases with them. That would be perfect…
Extract
“Here we go then…” Bea said to Perry as, now divested of their safety paraphernalia, they walked towards the hallway door. They passed through the main doorway just as the last of the police cars rolled to a stop outside Clary House, their pulsing lights dancing over the facade of the building. They stepped out on to the pavement and waited.
“What’s wrong with us, Perry? How do we always find ourselves with a dead body?” Bea asked.
“Just lucky, I guess,” he replied lightly as they watched three uniformed police officers jump out of the lead vehicle, one of them unfurling a strip of yellow tape with the words ‘crime scene’ splashed on it. Great! Just the sort of publicity we don’t need right now.
As the door of the car in the middle of the three vehicles opened, Bea held her breath. Please be Mike Ainsley. A lofty man stepped out from the passenger side. His short greying hair and well-trimmed beard gave him an air of experience and authority. He took an object out of his pocket and brought it up to his mouth. His face temporarily grew hazy behind a cloud of mist. Bea pushed her breath through her teeth. It wasn’t Mike Ainsley. Rats!
“Who is it?” Perry whispered in her ear. She shrugged. She didn’t recognise the man either.
“He looks like an old bloodhound,” Perry mumbled, not unkindly, as they watched the police officer’s lanky build move with surprising grace towards them. Bea suppressed a giggle as she noted his down-turned mouth and slightly droopy eyes. He does!
“Let’s just hope he can sniff out what happened here quickly,” Bea said, smirking.
Perry rolled his eyes. “That was terrible.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a grin, then her face cleared. “Look, Perry. Our focus needs to be on getting SaltAir opened on time. We can’t get distracted by a police investigation. Agreed?”
Perry tilted his head to one side. “But surely if we help, then they’re more likely to get this wrapped up before…” He trailed off when he saw her face. He let out a deep sigh. “Okay. Agreed,” he said reluctantly.
Bea caught a whiff of something fruity as the man stopped in front of them, his fingers wrapped around an electronic cigarette. “Detective Inspector Albert Finch, Fenshire CID.” His voice was deep and slow. “I don’t think we’ve met before, my lady.” He gave a curt bow, but didn’t offer his hand. Close up, he looked younger than she’d originally thought. Early fifties
possibly? Bea gave an awkward smile in return. Finch’s watery eyes turned to Perry. “And you are?”
“Er, Perry Juke, inspector. I work with Lady Beatrice. We’re overseeing the refurbishment of the building.”
“And it was you two who made the discovery, was it?”
“Well…” Perry hesitated and glanced at Bea. “We were there when it happened.”
A much younger, dark-haired woman stopped next to Finch. He didn’t introduce her.
“So assuming this is murder, do you think the body belongs to Victor Blackwell?” Perry asked.
What?! Why was Perry asking that when they’d just agreed not to get involved? She turned and stared at him. He sheepishly mouthed, “Sorry.”
The woman quickly typed something into her phone while Finch’s thick grey eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Victor Blackwell? The chef? Why do you think it’s him?”
Perry coloured. “Er, well…I heard he’d upped and gone to Australia three years ago and never came back, and this is where he worked at the time. So I thought maybe he didn’t go after all…” He looked down at his feet.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mr Juke.” His calm voice did little to hide a hint of irritation in his eyes. “For now, just know we’re on the case, and you don’t need to worry about it.” He turned to the woman. “Sergeant, take a couple of uniforms and secure the scene. Hopefully, Forensics will be here in the next few hours.” The DS gestured to two officers who were standing by the wall, and they followed her inside.
Hours? Bea frowned. In her now unfortunately rather extensive experience, the forensic squad was normally close on the tails of the investigating team. She glanced at Perry, who gave a quick shrug.
“We’ve stopped work, inspector, as you would expect. Everyone who was on-site when the discovery was made is waiting in a room upstairs. Just to let you know, we’re up against a tight deadline. The restaurant opens in three weeks, and the dining room, where the…er, remains were found is the last major space we need to transform. Any delay is going to jeopardise our timeframe, so we need to regain access to that room as soon as possible.”
Finch, who’d been listening patiently to her, nodded slowly, then tipped his head to one side. “Unfortunately, countess, that’s not how it works.”
Book blurb:
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbours secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
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Author Bio –
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
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