Sneak Peek Sunday… Is she in over her head?

Welcome to Sara Walter Ellwood’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

Today’s six-paragraph peek is from IT HAD TO BE YOU, my new 1920s romantic mystery about a tabloid reporter who stumbles on the story of her career when she joins up with a jaded homicide detective to solve the Central Park murder of a notorious bootlegger.

 It Had to Be You … Is she in over her head?

In  previous peeks, we met Detective Sean Costigan just as he was coming off an all-night murder investigation with no sleep. He had one more witness to track down, a hungry tabloid reporter who once earned her byline at the expense of his Brooklyn brothers in blue.

Sean wasn’t quite sure what to make of the lovely Trixie Frank.  She’s the daughter of a multi-millionaire. Why would an uptown dame like that be working for the sleaziest jazz sheet in town? This had to be the passing fancy of a bored debutante. Right?

Not if you ask Trix.

In today’s peek, Trixie has had her best day ever at work. She’s been assigned to the story of her career, the Central Park murder of bootlegger Johnny “Blue Eyes” Murphy. She cannot mess this up. But when she returns home to her apartment that evening, it’s to the chilling discovery that her door has been left unlocked.

Has someone broken in?

A rushed search of her place reveals no valuables missing, but some items may have been moved. Her imagination? Or is someone playing games? Spooked, Trixie calls Detective Costigan, who offers to come over and take a look around.

***

Trixie had to fight an urge to protest as Sean proceeded to prowl through her kitchen. What had she gotten herself into? He touched the top of her table and drummed his fingers along the edge of her sink before peering inside her nearly bare cupboard.

Cops should be more like doctors. Old. And bald. Definitely bald. Perhaps if Costigan were more the comforting fatherly type rather than the virile, see-through-a-girl’s-skin-to-her-quivering-soul type, she wouldn’t feel so exposed as he delved into every detail of her personal life.

When he opened her icebox, she could keep quiet no longer. “Excuse me, but what do you expect to find in there?”

“Not this.”

His tone was oddly flat. She crossed to his side to see what he stared at inside the upper compartment. A quart of milk, a stick of butter, a sliced tomato, a half-eaten chicken sandwich.

And her brassiere.  Trixie’s mouth fell open

***

Welcome to the big time, Trix. Someone is indeed playing games.

But what are the stakes? Simply to scare her off the story? Or is their intent something much worse?

For more fun sneak peeks, be sure to hop on over to SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY HERE!

IT HAD TO BE YOU
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Text Copyright © 2014 by Delynn Royer.

Permission to reproduce this text was granted by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

It Had to Be You – Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.