Reprise in Murder

REPRISE IN MURDER LESSONS IN MURDER, BOOK 5 EDALE LANE PAST AND PROLOGUE PRESS Reprise in Murder, Lessons in Murder Book 5 By Edale Lane Published by Past and Prologue Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews. Edited by Melodie Romeo Cover art by Melodie Romeo This book is a work of fiction, and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental. First Edition May 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Edale Lane Printed in the United States of America Created with Vellum Created with Vellum CONTENTS Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Other Books by Edale Lane About the Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my proofreader, Dione Benson, for her expertise. I also want to recognise my beta reader team who offered valuable suggestions and caught more mistakes: Maryann Kafka, Rowan Liddell, Fran Ringland, and Julie—no author could ask for a better bunch. Finally, no tribute would be complete without mentioning my excellent partner, Johanna White, and the incomparable J. Scott Coatsworth for formatting and a whole lot more. None of us think this story requires any trigger warnings. However, it does deal with murder and mayhem, as the title would suggest. I hope you enjoy Reprise in Murder. CHAPTER 1 Saturday March 18, 2023, Roanoke, VA Jenna tried to focus her attention on the nail head resting between her thumb and forefinger as she pulled back the hammer because she didn’t want to whack them again. However, she was finding it monumentally hard to do while Randi’s athletic form was climbing a ladder a few feet to her right, long legs fitted into tight jeans, a full tool belt dangling from her hips, and wearing a short, untucked T-shirt with a propensity to be caught by the breeze. Her professor was playing construction worker today with her light-brown hair pulled back in a tail beneath a baseball cap. When her girlfriend Dr. Miranda McLeod invited her to help with the Habitat for Humanity house-building project her church was sponsoring, Jenna was quick to say yes. Once upon a time she had dabbled in childhood fort-building in the woods near her house when she had needed a safe place to hide. She liked to think she still knew how to use tools. Her throbbing thumb informed her otherwise. With the framing complete, Jenna, Randi and the other volunteers were busy tacking up insulation panels, which should be a simple assignment—that is, if she could keep her eyes and mind on something other than Randi. Over the past month since the first “I love you”s had been voiced, it seemed the pair swam in them. Jenna had enjoyed spending time with her quirky, delightful girlfriend and feasting on her fabulous cooking whenever she hadn’t been running after criminals or investigating fatal car crashes. They had introduced Randi’s energetic German Shepherd Byron to her suspicious cat Bandit several times such that it was safe to leave them together in Jenna’s apartment while on the construction gig, though she wasn’t entirely convinced the two would behave like perfect pets when void of supervision. “Looking good, Lieutenant.” Stopping her hammer hand from performing its next swing, Jenna glanced over her shoulder at a woman about her height with her red hair in a long bob and a flock of freckles dappling her ivory skin. “Thanks,” Jenna replied with a contented expression. “Reverend Baldwin, right?” Upon their arrival at eight in the morning, Randi had introduced her to a dozen or more people in swift succession. It would be a wonder if she could remember any of their names. “Just call me Luna,” the older woman with the bright smile replied. “If we are forgoing titles, then you should call me Jenna.” “All right then, Jenna. We appreciate you spending your day off with us, and the Johnsons, who’ll be moving in when the house is ready, really appreciate you,” Randi’s pastor conveyed genuinely. “And I’d further like to say how grateful we as a community are for your service. I know it’s a trying career as you daily deal with the worst humanity has produced. Just know we are praying for you and all our law enforcement officers. Miranda keeps telling me how blessed she is to have you in her life, and we all adore her, so I’m so glad to have finally gotten to meet you. You know, Jenna, you are welcome to visit anytime, and I promise not to throw a lasso around you and rope you to a pew.” She laughed, creasing fine lines at the corners of her welcoming eyes. Jenna had known how welcoming Randi’s church was and if she showed up for this event there would be invitations to attend other functions, including worship services. Therefore, she had prepared appropriate answers to be polite and avoid theological discussions. “Thank you, Rev—Luna, although I’m the one who’s lucky. I enjoy the opportunity to contribute to worthy ministries like Habitat for Humanity and I appreciate you and your congregation for rolling up your sleeves and engaging in projects that make a real difference. Besides having been baptized a Catholic, I frequently spend Sundays working, but thank you for your warm hospitality.” Luna gave her a knowing smile, as if she saw straight through all the carefully prepared bull to the truth of her agnosticism. It wasn’t that Jenna believed there was no God; she just hadn’t found herself on speaking terms with Him or Her for a very long time and wasn’t ready to deal with even more emotional baggage yet. “Perfectly