Devereaux’s Year

Hi!

 

 My name is Devereaux Sinclair and I own the Devereaux’s Dime Store and Gift Baskets. Because of the basket side of my business, my year seems to revolve around holidays. In January, it’s New Year’s Eve; in February, it’s Valentine’s Day; and in March or April, it’s Easter.

This year, I really thought that I lucked out for my Easter baskets. A woman came into my store with antique chocolate molds that she wanted to unload. At the time, since she gave me a super price, I was thrilled. However, if I’d have known the trouble that buying those cute bunny molds would get me into, I would have shoved her out the door and triple locked it behind her.   

Unfortunately, like a T-shirt I saw said: Lead me not into temptation, Lord, because I can find the way all by myself.

And with some of the stuff in my history—my dad being in jail, my previous boss running a Ponzi scheme, and my ex-boyfriend’s fiancée getting murdered—I can’t afford to take any kind of risk with my reputation.

Too bad my BFF, Boone St. Onge, also got caught in this mess.

At least my grandmother, Birdie, seems to be doing better since I quit my job in the city and have been able to spend more time with her. Gran has memory issues, but she claims that at her age, anyone who doesn’t forget something once in a while is the one that should be watched.

My other BFF, Poppy Kincaid, owner of Gossip Central, the hottest club within an hour of Kansas City, wasn’t much help. She was too enamored with Boone’s attorney, Tryg to concentrate on solving the mystery.

Adding to my issues, Jake Del Vecchio, the hot U.S. Marshal who I’ve been seeing, passed his physical and returned to work so he’s not around too much. Although, that might be a good thing since my ex-boyfriend, Dr. Noah Underwood is, and those two get along about as well as gasoline and matches.

But Easter is over and now I have to start thinking about Mother’s Day. I sure hope no one gets into trouble over that holiday.

--You can read all about my Easter dilemma in Nickeled-and-Dimed to Death coming March of 2013. Little Shop of Homicide, the first in the Devereaux’s Dime Store mysteries by New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson debuted in 2012