Death by Dreidel
by Susie Black
Blurb:
Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik attends an industry Hanukkah party to honor Rapido Swimwear CEO Leni Waxman as the Mount Cedars Hospital Woman of the Year. The guest of honor collapses and dies in the middle of the event. An autopsy confirms that Leni expired as a result of poisoning by coming in contact with a purposely contaminated dreidel. There is no shortage of suspects—Leni had no problem destroying anyone who threatened her top-dog swimwear industry position. When Holly’s business partner is wrongly arrested for Leni’s murder, the irreverent sales exec can’t mind her own beeswax. The wise-cracking snoop sticks her nose everywhere it doesn’t belong to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and nothing turns out how Holly thinks it will as she takes on a ruthless killer hellbent on revenge.
Excerpt:
A sheen of perspiration coated Leni’s forehead and dotted her upper lip as she ran her fingers through her hair. Leni drew in rapid, heavy breaths as though she couldn’t get enough air. She closed her eyes, massaged her temples, and staggered like a dizzy drunken sailor for a half-dozen steps.
Then she tried to hand Buddy an envelope containing a one-hundred-dollar gift certificate to Bainbridge Department Stores. It didn’t go well. Her olive complexion took on a pale, translucent tone. She picked up the envelope with a shaky hand but dropped it on the dais. A deep red blush of embarrassment rose from her neck to her hairline. Her twitching fingers failed to pick the envelope back up. Leni gave him a grateful look and congratulated Buddy with a wan smile when he took pity on her and picked the envelope off the dais.
I leaned over to Queenie and pointed to Leni. “Take a gander at Leni. Something’s wrong with her.”
Queenie followed my index finger with her eyes. “Yeah, she’s white as a ghost and perspiring.”
Mira waved around the room. “Because of the size of the crowd, the air conditioning has been on all night. It’s not the least bit stuffy in here.”
Gary snapped, “Maybe the old broad is nervous.”
Buddy took his seat and pointed to Leni. “No question about it. Something is wrong with that woman.”
Mira shrugged. “Or perhaps the emotion of sharing the loss of her sister took its toll and she’s not feeling well.”
Gary clucked his tongue. “Don’t let her fool you with her sad story about her sister. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made the whole thing up to add some dramatic context to her acceptance speech. Leni Waxman has a heart of stone and only ice water runs in her veins. She is incapable of loving anybody but herself.” Gary rolled his eyes. “She’s probably going through menopause and having one helluva hot flash.”
Seeming to rally after taking several restorative gulps of water, Leni tottered on unsteady feet over to a large glass-topped table piled high with door prizes. She pointed to the stack and said in a remarkably normal voice, “Okay, folks the last thing on our party agenda is the auction of these wonderful door prizes donated by all you generous vendors. Dig down deep in your pockets and let’s see some high bids. The proceeds are going to buy a library of books for the daycare center in the new hospital wing.”
She leaned over to pick up the first item, but it slipped through her fingers. Leni bolted straight up and stumbled as she clutched her midsection and let out a blood-curdling scream. She gagged and vomited down the front of her dress. Leni fell forward and collapsed onto the table. The stunned crowd went as silent as a cemetery when the glass top shattered and the door prizes scattered across the ballroom floor.
Hadassah Waxman jumped up and screamed, “Oh My God, No!” Morty and Barry rushed to Leni, but Doctor Levinson pushed them away. Levinson yelled, “Somebody call nine-one-one!” Then he sprang into action. He carefully pulled Leni out of the glass shards and laid her stiff-as-a-board body on her back. He held his palm over her mouth. She wasn’t breathing. He pressed his thumb first on the inside of her wrist and then on the bottom of her throat, but detected no pulse. He put his ear to Leni’s chest but didn’t hear a heartbeat. He commenced CPR, but she failed to respond.
Ten minutes later two paramedics, pushing a stretcher loaded with life-saving gear and accompanied by a pair of LAPD uniforms, rushed into the ballroom. The hushed crowd held their breath as the medical first responders reached Levinson still working desperately to revive Leni. The two pulled resuscitation equipment out and prepared to work on the supine guest of honor. The doctor’s shoulders slumped with defeat. Levinson’s eyes filled and his voice cracked as he waved the two off. “It’s too late. She’s gone.”
Hadassah let out an anguished cry of despair and collapsed to the floor.
Naturally, I burst out laughing.
Author Bio:
Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector and sailor. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.
Looking for more? Contact Susie at:
Website: www.authorsusieblack.com
E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com
