Organized to Kill by Jan Christensen
By Jan Christensen
ISBN-10: 1724111299
ISBN-13: 978-1724111296
Independently published
Paperback: 276 pages
September 26, 2018, $12.99
Genre: Mystery
Series: Tina Tales Book 4
It’s bad enough to find a
dead body. Even worse when it’s in your lover’s bed. In Organized to Kill, the fourth in the Tina Tales series,
Tina and Hank become suspects in a bizarre murder. But when another victim
turns up burned beyond recognition the next night, the suspect pool widens. Are
the two murders even connected?
Hank’s background in federal
and police procedure drives the investigation, and Tina’s organizational skills
and psychological training help unearth clues. Fortunately, her poking around
is sometimes accompanied by her Uncle Bob’s quirky commentary and Hank’s hot
bod. Tina is determined to find the reasons for both murders by talking to
suspects, figuring out if the two crimes are connected, and if they are, how.
Just when she thinks she has the answers, she finds another clue. But it might
be too late and put her own, and Hank’s, life in danger.
READ THE FIRST CHAPTER HERE:
ORGANIZED TO KILL
A Tina Tale
4th in Series
By
Jan Christensen
“What a great party,” Tina said as she
brought some glasses from the living room into the kitchen. Hank stood at the
sink rinsing items and placing them into his dishwasher. She stood a moment,
admiring his butt, thankful they’d become a couple after knowing each other
since toddlerhood. He’d grown into an amazing man, now twenty-nine, both in
looks—her friends called him Hank the Hunk—and in character.
He turned around and said, “It is fun to see
old friends, isn’t it? And to find out who they’ve hooked up with lately.”
Tina laughed and set the glasses on the
counter. “Samantha picked a real winner, didn’t she?”
Hank smiled at her. “At least he wasn’t a
mean drunk. Just a clumsy one.”
“Trying to be the life of the party. That’s
too bad about the conch shell. It was a beauty. Where’d you get it?”
Hank turned back to the sink. “I don’t
remember.”
She walked over to him and craned her neck
to put her face close to his. “Yes, you do. You were with an old girlfriend and
afraid to tell me about it. Who was she? Spill it.” She grinned. They’d had
this kind of discussion before with questions flowing both ways. Teasing, but
also, she was curious. Who wouldn’t be?
Hank carefully rinsed another glass and put
it in the dishwasher. “Samantha. Quite a coincidence Seth broke the shell I
found on the beach in Belize when we were together.”
Tina shook her head. “I want a list. It took
courage to invite an old girlfriend to your party.” She squinted at him, trying
not to laugh out loud. “How many other old girlfriends were here?”
“Let’s see. I need a calculator.”
“This will take some time, I assume.”
“Yes. We’d better sit down.” Hank wiped his
hands on a towel, and they settled into the chairs at the square, tile-covered
kitchen table.
Tina flipped a lock of her red hair out of
her eye. “Samantha’s not that old.”
“So?”
“So, I’ve been told you liked to date older
women.”
“Who told you that?”
“Our mutual friend, Leslie.”
“Hmm. Looks as if she’s a better friend to
you than to me.”
“You’re upset she told me that?”
Hank shrugged. “Not really. Just sayin’.”
“Okay, back to the subject. Name some
names.”
“When I was younger, I liked to date older
women. As I matured, I dated ones more my own age.”
“I see. Learned all you could from the older
ones.”
“Exactly.”
Tina rolled her eyes. “Okay, you dodged the
question twice now. We’ve got Samantha. Who else?”
Hank grinned. “I don’t think I should kiss
and tell. You want to list all your old boyfriends? I know about Brandon, and
some guy in Virginia you broke up with. Who else?”
“Don’t change the subject. I’m betting there
were so many you can’t remember them all.”
“None of the women I dated were
forgettable.”
She stared at him a moment, then laughed. “I
bet they’ve never forgotten you, either.”
“I hope they remember me fondly. While we’re
on the subject of old flames. What are your feelings about Brandon now?”
Tina blinked. “I never expected you to ask
about him.” So much had happened in the last year, her head spun thinking about
it. She’d moved back home to Newport after being in Virginia for eleven years,
first at college, then after getting her PhD, working as a psychologist. After
one of her patients committed suicide, she couldn’t break out of the feeling of
guilt. Everything became too hard. The relationship with her lover deteriorated
into bitter tears and shouting matches. She had to quit working, and she came
home.
Brandon had matured into a solid criminal
lawyer, and they began to date. His sister, Leslie, was her best friend, and
Brandon and Hank, she and Leslie had grown up together.
Slowly, her relationship with Brandon became
uncomfortable, and her desire for Hank stronger and stronger. She could tell
the feeling was mutual, but except for one lapse, he wouldn’t make a move. A
couple of months ago she broke up with Brandon, and she and Hank began dating.
Hank took her hand. “Of course, I’m curious
since we’ve all known each other since we were wee babes. You seemed to be a
good match.”
“For a while. You know Brandon. He’s a bit
controlling. Very sure of himself.”
“I’m sure of myself. That doesn’t seem to
put you off.”
She shook her head. “True. But you aren’t
always telling me what to do. Actually, demanding I do something or other.”
“Brandon did that?”
“Yeah. Sometimes in a rather disparaging
way.”
“Ouch.” Hank let go of her hand and stood
up. “I’ll remember not to do that.”
“That’s the point. You never have.”
“Good.”
Tina gave up asking--how many times would it
be now?--Hank to name his old girlfriends. It really didn’t matter to her that
much, and she knew he knew that. They finished cleaning up the living room and
kitchen in companionable silence. Hank turned off the lights in both rooms, and
they headed to the master suite. When they arrived, Tina shook Hank’s arm.
“Someone’s passed out on your bed. Who is it? I can’t see his face.”
Hank walked toward the bed. “Seth.”
Tina saw Hank flinch. He touched Seth’s
neck, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “He’s dead, Tina. Go wait
in the living room.”
Stunned, Tina did as she was told. As she
went, she realized the irony about their earlier discussion. In this case, she
was happy to follow a man’s command.
Jan Christensen grew up in New Jersey. She bounced
around the world as an Army wife, and in Texas after her husband retired. After
traveling for eleven years in a motorhome, she settled down in the Texas
Coastal Bend. Published novels are: Sara’s
Search, Revelations, Organized to Death, Perfect Victim, Blackout, Buried Under
Clutter, A Broken Life, Cluttered Attic Secrets and Organized to Kill. She's had over seventy short stories appear in
various places over the last twenty years. She also writes a series of short
stories about Artie, a NY burglar who gets into some strange situations while
on the job. Learn more at her website: www.janchristensen.com
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