TOP DRAWER FICTION

 

The Third WomanSleuth Anthology
Contemporary Mystery Stories By Women
Edited by Irene Zahava

An Excerpt From

Clear As Glass
by
HL Carpenter

Tamara Arnold's eyes widened behind her designer glasses. "Nathan will be arrested if he comes out of hiding!"

Emma Twiggs, seated on the velvet sofa to the left of Galveston Investigations' anxious client, shifted her gaze to her handsome nephew's cheerless face and waited for his reaction. It wasn't long in coming.

"Fill me in on the details." James Galveston’s voice held more than a trace of reluctance.

"Yesterday Nathan went to see Harold Smythefield." Tamara Arnold spoke quickly, as if afraid of being interrupted. "Harold represented my husband the last time he was in trouble with the law."

While Tamara talked, Emma jotted down what she considered pertinent impressions. Before her vacation, her nephew, with his clients' consent, had begun filming his interviews. The camcorder, concealed inside a custom-designed cabinet, was now recording their conversation, leaving Emma free to observe body language and listen for nuances which could only be gleaned by an experienced sleuth during a live session.

She was almost as delighted with the equipment as she was with her promotion to "experienced sleuth."

***

HL Carpenter is a mother/daughter writing team. Mysteries featuring Emma Twiggs, their favorite septuagenarian sleuth, were also featured in the First and Second WomanSleuth Anthologies.