Books, Blogs, and Bloody Murder by Michelle Ann Hollstein

Author:Michelle Ann Hollstein [Hollstein, Michelle Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

After making their way across the parking lot to the shopping center, Aggie followed Anita and Betty into the bookstore. Anita looked around and nodded at the Customer Service desk.

“I think that’s where we should start,” she said.

Betty nodded and Aggie groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was a fake murder investigation, but at the same time, the sooner they investigated, the sooner Anita got on the road.

She followed Anita and Betty to the Customer Service desk. A woman with dark, curly hair and black plastic-framed glasses was standing behind the counter, using a device to scan books into the computer system. She looked up at Anita and smiled. “May I help you?”

“Yes,” Anita said. “Aggie has some questions for you.” She turned around, grabbed Aggie’s shoulders, and steered her to the desk.

“What?” Aggie asked, sneering at Anita.

“You’re the amateur detective,” Anita whispered, nudging her with an elbow. “Get detecting.”

Aggie seethed, “Fiction, remember? Fiction.”

“Yes, I remember.” Anita smiled and then nodded at Betty.

Betty tapped the record button on her cell phone with her index finger and set it on the counter in front of Aggie.

Aggie tried hard to smile. Since she was feeling irritated with both Anita and Betty, she was having a hard time smiling. Her lips quivered.

“Hi, my name is Aggie,” she said, feeling like an utter idiot. “We were here yesterday for my friend, Betty’s book signing, and a poor woman had died…”

“Oh, yes,” the dark-haired woman said, sadly. She shook her head. “Isn’t that awful. That poor woman. So tragic!” She glanced at Betty and then at Aggie. “Oh! Wait a minute! I wasn’t working yesterday, but I’m the one that scanned your books into the computer when we ordered them in. I’m a huge fan!” She then looked Aggie up and down. “I recognize you from the cover! Are you the Aggie Underhill? The detective?”

Aggie felt her face heat up as her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Yes, I’m Aggie Underhill, but it’s fiction,” Aggie said. “I’m not really a detective.”

“You’re too modest!” Anita boasted, pushing Aggie aside. “Most of the stories are real! Right, Betty?”

“Yes. They’re all based on true stories,” Betty said, smiling. “I’m the author.”

“They’re fiction,” Aggie repeated for emphasis. “Not real.”

The woman didn’t seem to be listening. “Would I be able to get both of you to sign a copy for me?” she asked. “I forgot my nametag.” She patted her shirt. “My name is MaryAnn. Here. This is my copy. You can make it out to me.” She grabbed a copy of Betty’s book from beneath the counter. “I just love your blog!”

Betty smiled and signed her name on the front page. Aggie added her signature just below it.

“Thank you so much!” MaryAnn said, looking at the signatures.

Anita nudged Aggie again with her elbow. She nodded inconspicuously at MaryAnn.

Aggie sighed. She figured the sooner she asked a few questions, the sooner she’d get rid of Anita. Playing along, she asked, “MaryAnn, have you heard anything further about that woman yesterday? The one that died…”

“No,” MaryAnn said, shaking her head, as Chuck walked up.

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