Vows: Martina Spencer PI (Midlife Magic Book 6)

VOWS Midlife Magic: Book Six Carolina Mac Copyright © 2023 by Carolina Mac VOWS - 1st ed. ISBN 978-1-990882-16-3 6The moral right of the author has been asserted. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated. Book Layout © 2017 BookDesignTemplates.com Vow: A solemn promise to do a specific thing. ―Oxford dictionaries CONTENTS Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Epilogue Chapter One Sunday, September 18th. Thirteen Hickory Lane. Baton Rouge. Not twenty-four hours ago my husband was murdered in our king size bed. Nice bed too, but I wouldn’t be sleeping in it ever again. Especially not today because the forensic team isn’t finished running the second floor of my adorable Craftsman house. Lance Henning, Chief of Violent Crime and a neighbor, practically ordered me to go and sleep in a hotel, but I refused to be ordered out of my own home. I brought a few things downstairs and moved temporarily into the sunroom at the back of the house. Nick, my assistant and currently the only person whom I can trust, slept on the sofa in the living room. We left the upper level for the cops and the forensic techs. Nick had been spending his nights in the sleeper of my Mack truck permanently parked next to the fence, but my nerves were jagged after Brad was murdered and I begged Nick to sleep in the house after the cops left for the day. My husband had been murdered in our bedroom upstairs and that made me a little wary of sleeping in the house all alone. I had Backup, my retired K-9, and he was good protection, but I needed Nick in the house with me or I wouldn’t close my eyes for ten seconds. The cops would be back this morning for another round of invasion. Let them come. I wanted the killer found and a needle shoved in his arm. Brad wasn’t perfect, but he certainly didn’t deserve to die. Because I was sleeping in the sunroom, Gearbox was cuddled up next to me. My big orange cat loved to lie in the sun and he owned the sunroom. I was a visitor to his domain. The door was wide open because I didn’t want privacy. I wanted to feel like Nick could hear me breathing and if he didn’t hear it anymore, he’d jump up and do something about it. I was a little paranoid. A murder in the house where you feel safe triggers all kinds of emotions. None of them pretty. A murder in your own home makes you feel like your last stronghold has been breached and you should run for it. Terrifying. I heard Nick get up to use the bathroom, and on his way back to the sofa he stopped at my open door to gaze in on me. “Come in. I can’t sleep.” “Maybe we should’ve gone to a hotel, boss, like the cops said. There are a lot of death vibes floating on the air in here. I’m thinking of opening all the windows and calling the wind to blow through. Would you mind?” “Not at all. Can you do that?” Nick shrugged. “Done it a few times. It helps.” “Who died when you did it before?” “Umm… can’t remember.” “I can tell by the look on your face that you can remember and you don’t want to tell me.” “Long story and not a good one when you’ve just had a big shock. I’m going to make coffee.” “I might as well get up and drink coffee with you. I can’t sleep.” “When you’ve had coffee and you’re up for it, we should have a little talk to Foley. He was here when the murder went down and he might have seen something.” “He must have if he was here. He knows everything that goes on in this house and I didn’t think to ask him.” “We’ll do it together,” said Nick. He sat down on the side of the daybed and held my hand. “You don’t have to get up. I’ll bring you coffee and you can rest.” “I think I’m okay.” Nick shook his head. He was Cajun and his long black hair swished around his shoulders, his dark eyes flashed when he was angry or excited. He was the only thing standing between me and insanity. “I’m grateful you’re here, Nick.” “Where else would I be?” “With your girlfriend, having a life of your own.” “Ancient history and I’m filing it under ‘to be forgotten.’ Nothing worth remembering with Giselle.” “You must have liked her at first. Where did you meet?” “In the quarter,” he drawled. “Drunk and dirty and drinking with a bunch of guys I used to hang with when I worked on the boats. One big blur and I woke up with Giselle in my trailer. Once she moved in, I couldn’t get her out.” “After the boats you became a bounty hunter?” I asked. He laughed. “Does that seem like a natural